Towel
by beatrix.acs
Summary: What would happen if Tony stepped into Ziva's room right in the moment she wore nothing but a tiny towel that barely covers her body? AU Season 9 finale – Jimmy's wedding with Breena. Rated M for obvious reasons, we're talking about TIVA here after all. :) Dedicated to Jasmin (Mine1986).
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

**Hello again, my dear readers!**

**I'm back with another story as I promised. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it as I'm trying to give all of you something to read during the school or work days and brighten up them if it's possible. :)**

**So, what this story is about? Well, I want to thank again to my favourite TV show JAG for giving me this little idea and as I promised – unlike my previous story ****'Pianoforte'****, this is going to be story about love – so we'll be dealing with their feelings and unspoken (or spoken? ;)) words and so on again like we did in ****'Kissing Deal'**** but in completely different way. ;) You'll have to read it to see what I mean. Anyway, this story will have three or four parts – each part then consist of various numbers of chapters (I guess between five and ten). I will be honest with you – I haven't finished the first part yet (10 chapters done, still writing) but I have enough material to keep you entertained at least until Christmas. :) So, I guess I have enough time to finish the first part and start with the second one. However, when the other parts will come, I can't tell since I have two important projects to school and I have to write primarily them so the fanfiction is now secondary. Anyway, the deadlines are in March so I'll have enough time for writing after it so you can expect the other parts after that. But don't worry, I'll finish it – I'm not that type of person who would abandon my own story, I'm writing not only for you but for myself as well and I just hate when something is unfinished. So, trust me – this story will see its happy end.**

**Anyway, the whole story circles around towel which covers Ziva's body in the moment Tony steps into her hotel room. It's AU to Season 9, let's just say they were able to stop Dearing before he planted the bomb and the whole team actually got to attend Jimmy's wedding with Breena. If you ever wondered what Tony would do with such situation, here's my version. Go and read to find out how it will turn out! :)**

**And why I'm posting this story today on October 17th? Because my dear friend ****Jasmin**** (AKA ****Mine1986****) is having birthday today! So, the story is dedicated to her, of course. Jasmin, I want to thank you this way for your friendship, our long and short messages, sharing your life with me, including your amazing baby girl. I've found a wonderful and kind person in you and I'm honoured to call you my friend. I love chatting with you, sharing my own life with you and just being your friend. Thank you for everything, most of all for the amazing handbag you sewed for me and which I got few days ago - it's brilliant and I totally love it! :) And also - good luck to your future. We both know what sort of happiness awaits you next year and you know how happy I am because of it for you. I also truly hope we'll meet next year since we don't live too far away from each other. I hope you enjoy your day, that your celebration will be awesome and here's my little gift to you. :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

**Disclaimer:**

**As always – I do not own NCIS or the characters. English is not my first language, so all mistakes are mine. If there's any kind soul who is interested to become my Beta, I'll be only happy. You can contact me through PM. :)**

**Onward with the story!**

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><p><em><strong>Towel<strong>_

_**Chapter 1**_

"Damn it!" Ziva cursed loudly as the echo of the swear word she just let out of her mouth bounced off the bathroom walls.

She angrily turned the tap off, giving up of the hot relaxing shower she was just having and started to squeeze the water out of her hair before she reached out for the towel and dried it with the fluffy fabric, making a turban on her head. She didn't want to leave the bathroom because the shower was really nice and it helped her to ease her stiffened muscles but she'd forgot to take her dress in here and that's what she planned to do in the first place.

She was in her hotel room, currently enjoying the hot water and preparing herself for the wedding rehearsal dinner. She had to give a credit to Jimmy and Breena because this hotel was a fairytale place for a wedding. It was near the beach, the ceremony itself was supposed to be held in a beautiful gazebo in hotel's garden while the party was on hotel's terrace with a free entry on the beach, however, the tonight's dinner which was supposed to be a rehearsal, was held inside.

Her anger somewhat waned when she realized that the reason for her anger was pitiful. She'd wanted to make herself presentable so when Breena had showed her the room she was supposed to stay in, she'd pulled out her dress from her baggage and hung them on a hanger to make them straighten before she'd taken her clothes off and disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower she so much needed after the long ride full of endless chatting with Abby.

Not that she didn't like to talk with Abby but she was relieved she had a moment for herself and that Jimmy and Breena had been reasonable enough and booked room for each of them so she didn't have to share with anyone. She really needed few moments of peace to categorize her thoughts, to weigh the options and decide what to do with her life in the future.

Her life became an emotional rollercoaster again this year and she couldn't help herself than think about 'what ifs'. This whole wedding was just reminding her that she would have been planning her own if it hadn't been for her break-up with Ray. It was unbelievable how her life had changed since the last year when she'd thought she'd had something permanent and something what would last. She'd gone from Ray's disappearance when he hadn't been able to call her to a proposal and almost engagement to the state when she was without boyfriend and with uncertain future.

Until now she didn't have so much time to think about it. Well, she'd discussed it with her therapist but she was somehow afraid to get deeper. But since it was already few months she had dumped Ray, she realized that it was finally time to leave it behind. So after they closed their current case – Dearing got what he deserved – and they all actually were able to attend Jimmy's wedding, she decided that she will enjoy the free time she was offered. She just wanted to have a good time with her friends and don't think about any problems.

She sighed, wondering whether she will ever have the chance to get herself a wedding like those two had and stepped out of the shower enclosure. She needed to go back to her room to get some clothes because she'd left everything there. She cursed herself again for her stupidity – she was supposed to be intelligent enough to know that the clothes wouldn't appear out of thin air if she didn't bring it by herself since she'd gone to the bathroom completely naked.

She reached for the second towel that was in the bathroom and realized that she'd done another stupidity. When she was taking the towel to dry her hair, she didn't pay any attention to the size of it so she took the larger one and now all she was holding in her hands was rather small towel. It was still rather large but she was sure that in the moment she will want to wrap her body into it, it will be shorter than she wanted.

The anger rose again in her as she hastily dried her body off, cursing the hotel staff for their inability to provide more towels in the room for one person. Like if one person didn't need more than two towels. She shook her head at her thoughts and grabbed the bottle of body lotion as she started to apply it on her freshly shaved legs to keep them smooth as they always were.

She chuckled sarcastically when she realized that this was the only thing she didn't forget to bring with her into the bathroom – her bag with cosmetic supplies. She slowly and thoroughly rubbed the lotion into her heated skin, relaxing the muscles even more. The shower was really a wonderful idea, she should get Nobel prize for it or something. Even though she probably wasn't the first person in the world who came up with it.

Then she sighed and wondered how to solve her next problem. Naturally, she needed to go out of the bathroom and find at least some lingerie before she will take her dress on. The first thing that flashed through her mind was rather obvious – to come out naked, like she was. However, she immediately dismissed the idea with a frown. Not that she was insecure about her body, not in the least, but you never know who might be watching. To parade naked in the room where she was all by herself was something she did only somewhere she knew it and felt secure. So, only in her apartment.

Another idea was the larger towel she had on her head and that was wrapped around her hair. But with another sigh she dismissed it as well – it was sodden through and through and she didn't want to wrap her body up into something so dank like that. She wanted something dry to caress her skin, not a wet towel. Especially when she applied the body lotion already.

As her eyes danced around the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of bathrobe and her brain started to scream 'hallelujah'. She didn't hesitate to reach for it and enjoy the fluffiness of the terry cloth. She always loved to be wrapped in the bathrobe while sipping a hot tea in front of the TV during winter in DC. And such memory caused another dismissal in her head. She wanted to wrap into it in the evening, after the dinner, and she wanted the bathrobe to be fresh and fluffy as it was supposed to be, so not an already used one.

Holding the bathrobe still in her hands, she shifted her eyes on the excuse of a towel and wondered whether to risk it. Like she remarked before – the size was sufficient but she was a small bit of revealing almost everything. But on the other hand – she was in her room alone with no one around. _Who could possibly see her?_ It was just a matter of few minutes – just go out, take what she needed and go back.

Well, the problem was that she knew about someone who might see her and she was terrified of the thought. There was only one person, man to be exact, who could spot her in the wrong moment. Tony. He was in the neighbouring room and the worst of all was that he had totally free access to her room. This hotel was one of those where certain rooms were interconnected, separated only by the door.

And she had that luck to be in such room while Tony was in the other. The only barrier between them was the door. Sure, she could lock the door up and not to worry about it anymore but she, of course, had forgot to check whether the door was locked or not. Which was another stupidity she made in the course of few minutes. Now, he could enter whenever he wanted, he didn't have to ask for her permission.

Well, not that he might be the only one who could take advantage of staying in this kind of room. She actually thought about sneaking into his room during the night to watch him in his sleep. He probably didn't have any idea how cute and tasty he looked when he was sprawled across the bed, making adorable sounds with his mouth from his dreams. She couldn't resist and always played with his dishevelled hair between her fingers whenever she had the chance to be witness of his sleeping.

The cuteness of his sleep was something she knew about for years but the desire to watch him was somewhat stronger over the last few months. Her eyes suddenly stopped studying the smaller towel on the bathroom's floor and looked right at herself through the reflection of the mirror. She narrowed them in shock when she saw the silly smile that appeared on her face out of nowhere.

She quickly wiped it off, raking her hair in nervousness, trying to get rid of the warm feeling that spread across her belly. _What is happening with her? _Surely Tony couldn't arouse such feelings in her... _Or could he?_ She shook her head in confusion, looking desperately on herself and trying to find the answer in her face. Not that it was helping. This wasn't a fairytale, the mirror couldn't tell her what feelings she had towards Tony.

Which was actually the most important question – _what it is between her and Tony lately?_ To be honest – a year ago she wouldn't guess that they could be so close again. She'd been in a relationship with Ray and he'd had EJ. It had been like – this is my personal space, do not disturb. They had been co-workers, partners and friends – but not close friends, just two people who spend the time with each other from time to time.

But then EJ had been gone and he somehow tried to find a way to her heart again. He'd been very supportive throughout her relationship problems with Ray, trying his best to show how much he actually cared about her. She'd found a very solid rock in him, she knew that she could count on him whenever she made up her mind. Not that she didn't know all of this before but somehow it became more significant for her during the last year.

Then Ray's proposal had come and even though she knew it would hurt him, she couldn't tell him about it right away. She didn't know what do with it – whether agree to marry Ray or not. And as she knew Tony, he would do exactly what he always did – support her. Tell her that if Ray was the right man, if he made her happy, then she should go for it and marry him. Which was exactly she didn't want to hear at that time and that's why Tony was one of the last who found out about it.

But it wasn't important anymore because she had broken up with Ray and everything had been gone, it was behind her. However, Tony's mood didn't improve like she hoped. He had kept certain distance from her like if he was afraid she might harm him in any way. Then it had hit her that he was probably giving her the time to heal herself and it really seemed like it because after few days they had been able to normally tease each other like always.

Until they had met his ex-fiancé on the case. She'd noticed his effort to keep her apart from Wendy very clearly and it'd been also rather noticeable that those two had a lot of unfinished business. When she'd offered him that he could confide in her with it, he'd politely refused, claiming that he would manage by himself. However, it hadn't been even few days after and she'd had him on her doorstep as he'd asked her whether the offer still held.

That night she realized how much he'd suffered because of what Wendy did to him and how much it had changed him. She was really glad that he'd told her about it, it revised her opinion on him very radically in certain points. Also, it'd got them back on their track. He'd again become the sweet, loving and caring Tony she'd so much desired to see for a very long time. Not that she admitted it to him, of course.

It seemed that something snapped in him because after their encounter with the woman who probably hurt him the most, he became more decisive, put the past behind him with everything that belonged to it, including his already non-existent feelings for Wendy and concentrated his interest on her. He started to develop a relationship between them but of a different kind than they had had so far.

He asked her out few times, at first on drink but from drinks they shifted to dinners, going to the cinema or just hanging out with each other. It didn't matter to him whether Abby and McGee joined them as well, he didn't take it as dating. She'd asked him once about it – what exactly they were doing and what he was expecting from it and he assured her that his intentions were pure.

He'd reasoned that they were both single and just because they didn't have the need to find their significant other in the near future, it didn't mean they couldn't go out from time to time and enjoy themselves. He definitely didn't plan to stay buried in his apartment and all he was doing was spending the time with his friend who happened to be his partner and co-worker in the same time.

She'd agreed with him because he'd had a point and it felt amazing to feel like a woman, to wear some beautiful dress into a fancy restaurant but knowing that her 'date' didn't expect anything in return. It all had friendly nature – they did the dating stuff without the actual dating. Their physical contact consisted from kiss on a cheek, holding hands or typical nudging each other, nothing more.

But even that had changed after a while. It happened mostly in her apartment when they had a movie night – they usually fell asleep which wouldn't be the greatest problem because she didn't see any problems in the fact that Tony spent a night in her apartment. What troubled her was that they fell asleep in each other's arms and she liked it. She actually liked it so much that she got used to it and always waited for him to doze off before she wrapped herself up into his embrace and drifted off sleep as well, avoiding like that to his possible questioning since she was always the first one who woke up.

That was the time she became aware of her desire to watch him in his sleep. She was able to watch him for hours, especially when she couldn't get herself to sleep. She didn't know whether he knew about it and what his opinion on all of this was but since he didn't say anything, she didn't consider it as something bad. They were just very good and very close friends who worked together and just spent the time with each other because they didn't want to be alone. It didn't have somewhat deeper meaning.

But she started to doubt it because when she looked at her reflection once more, that stupid silly smile was plastered on her face again. She didn't even register that during her mulling she started to smile, not to mention that her heart was beating rapidly, probably giving her some sign. Exactly the same sign as the butterflies in her stomach that were tossing there and making her feel dizzy.

She shook her head, trying to make the dizziness go away but her heartbeat increased even more when she became aware of the feeling she recognized in her heart. _No, no, no, no... She couldn't be falling in love with Tony... _What they were doing was innocent, and it was supposed to stay like that. She couldn't afford to destroy their friendship by falling in love with him.

But the problem was that she already was in love with him. The love for him grew inside her for quite some time but just lately she started to realize how strong it actually was. It scared her, a lot. It wasn't supposed to happen, he was forbidden for her. Not only because they were partners and there were certain rules about it but he was also her greatest friend and she didn't want to lose him. She was aware of how horrible she was in handling her relationships and she had no doubt she would screw this one up too.

Moreover, she couldn't even imagine how they could even work in a relationship. It was completely surreal and ridiculous vision to visualize in her head. Their dates would be probably similar to those ones they already had together but now including other dating stuff. They would probably end in his or her apartment after the dinner, watching a movie but soon forgetting about it because their desire would overpower them and they would be pleasing each other in no time...

She had to bite her lip to prevent the moan that threatened to escape her mouth at the sexual fantasy she just envisioned. She shook her head dismissively, cursing herself because such train of thoughts really wasn't helping her, especially when she was still standing naked in front of the mirror. She had to stop with thinking about Tony, it was getting very dangerous.

She again began to concentrate of her problem as she looked at the bathrobe, pondering whether to take it on or not but then she threw it away with a huff. She bent down and grabbed the smaller towel, wrapping her body up into it and tightening as much as she could to prevent the towel from falling down. When she inspected herself in the mirror, she was satisfied. It covered most of her body, it ended just below her lap and even though part of her butt was bare, she didn't mind.

If Tony came into her room, so what... He wouldn't see anything he hadn't seen before. The most important thing was that her breasts were covered and the most intimate part of her body as well. Besides, she could always kick him out because she was sure he wouldn't do anything against her will. And it was really just a matter of few minutes, she wanted to go back to the bathroom immediately.

She bent forward and unrolled the turban on her head, freeing her damp hair. She put the towel on its place, straightening it so it could dry out and tossed with her hair to spread it. It was still soggy, she could see the drops on her hair ends but she needed it to dry it up a bit on fresh air before she would use a hairdryer. She secured the towel around her body again, just to be sure and raked her hair to disentangle her locks.

She still couldn't get Tony out of her head as she fantasized about their possible relationship. Even though she found it weird, it had some pluses she would love to experience. But the actual thought of them arriving home from work together and making a dinner, then watching something on TV and going to sleep to their bed... She really couldn't imagine it.

With another unbelieving chuckle she stepped out of the bathroom, yawning and stretching her body. The door from the bathroom closed behind her and she leisurely started her way to the bed where her baggage was. She caught a glimpse of the alarm clock and was satisfied to find out that she still had a plenty of time to make herself presentable before the dinner starts.

But then her biggest nightmare at that time became a reality. She didn't have any chance to react as the door from the interconnected room opened and Tony entered. "Hey Ziv, I'm sorry to interrupt but you left..." He began cheerfully but in the moment his eyes laid upon her, his voice abandoned him.

_**The End of Chapter 1**_

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><p><strong>Just to let you know – I'm not in the least sorry for the cliffhanger. :D I wrote the first chapter with the intention to end it like that and I'm so satisfied with myself that I achieved it. ;) I want to be cruel again, you already know me.<strong>

**So, how did you like it? I hope it caught your attention and you are curious how Ziva will react that Tony stepped into her room without permission and how he will react to the sight he has in front of him – the woman he wants just in the towel. Well, that's actually why this story is in the M section. :D**

**Anyway, if it's not too much to ask – I'd like to know your opinion so please, leave me a review. The feedback is essential for every writer and it keeps the person motivated, plus I really want to know whether you are even interested in such story.**

**To you ****Jasmin****, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you again. :) I'm sending a hug all the way to Germany.**

**And since I'm the person, known for brightening up your Mondays, the next chapter is coming on Monday October 27th. ;) Until then, have a nice time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:**

**Guys, I have no words for all the appreciation you gave me, I'm truly happy that so many of you, and I mean MANY, are glad I'm back and that you're enjoying this story. :) Thank you all, you rock! I was completely blown away with the reactions and your reviews, I'm completely overwhelmed that I truly don't know what to say, you left me speechless. I hope I won't disappoint you. :)**

**Just a warning for those who are eager and impatient – if you've read any of my stories (mainly Kissing Deal and Pianoforte), you know I'm very cruel and I love to be very descriptive in writing the sweet surrender so if you think that those two will cross the line immediately, you're very wrong. :D I just have to do it, I love to throw few plot twists on the way and I really want to convince you that the giving in will be completely natural and unconditional. So, please bear with me, I promise that it's completely worth your while. You'll get what you want in the end, as always. ;) But you have to be patient because 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and so the story has the necessary development. For now, just enjoy the 'Tony seduces Ziva who struggles with herself' plot because this first part of the story I'm presenting right now is one huge foreplay and I hope you'll like it. ;)**

**Since I didn't have the chance to thank you personally as I could to others – thank you, my Guest reviewers – Debbie, Azucar, mishka and two anonymous guests for your reviews. :) **

**Great appreciation belongs to my newly found Beta – Laitie. Thank you so much, you really helped me a lot! :) Thanks also to your mother who read my stories and led you to me! :)**

**Don't forget I love you all! :) Thank you again and go read the new chapter! Let's continue in brightening your Mondays!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 2<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_With another unbelieving chuckle she stepped out of the bathroom, yawning and stretching her body. The door from the bathroom closed behind her and she leisurely started her way to the bed where her baggage was. She caught a glimpse of the alarm clock and was satisfied to find out that she still had a plenty of time to make herself presentable before the dinner starts._

_But then her biggest nightmare at that time became a reality. She didn't have any chance to react as the door from the interconnected room opened and Tony entered. "Hey Ziv, I'm sorry to interrupt but you left..." He began cheerfully but in the moment his eyes laid upon her, his voice abandoned him._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

She stood there in front of him, wearing nothing but a towel, her wet hair framing her face as the drops fell. She didn't try to cover herself with her arms or anything, she just stood there frozen. The shocked expression on her face revealed how perplexed she was with his presence in the room. But he hadn't meant to interrupt her shower, he swore – it had been accidental.

Because she was still saying nothing, totally dumbfounded and unable to react, he drank in the sight he was offered. Her long, slender legs, freshly shaven as he noticed, had never looked smoother. He watched as she unconsciously lifted her left foot and scratched her right calf with it in nervousness. But she didn't do anything else. She didn't tell him to go away, she didn't scold him for being in her room, simply nothing. He looked back into her eyes but she seemed to be far away from here.

So he took advantage of her distance and returned to his examination of her divine body. He slowly licked his lips as he inspected her thighs, and his eyes danced around the area of her crotch, which was covered by the fluffy towel that she had wrapped around herself. It was ridiculously short and he was sure that if she turned around with her back to him, he would see part of her cute little butt. But still, it covered enough of those parts of her body he had been dying to see for years.

He would trade anything in the world for that. He actually began to think about throwing away his career. His job didn't interest him anymore, he would be totally content with a new employment that didn't include so many life-threatening situations. To become a towel in her bathroom was now his dream job. If he wrapped himself around her body so tightly like the towel was right now, he would live happily ever after. And he would never let her go.

Even though she was apparently transfixed, he was at least sure about her calmness. Her chest didn't heave with short, agitated breaths. She continued to breathe peacefully like nothing serious had happened, like if it was normal thing that he ogled her while she was wearing just a towel. Her arms, however, unknowingly shifted to cross her chest and cover her breasts even more when he paid them more attention than it was appropriate.

Ziva was reeling. When she'd meditated in the bathroom on what to temporarily wear just to cover her body enough to go out and take some clothes on, worrying that Tony might enter her room and see her, she had meant it innocently. It had been another 'what if' scenario. She would have never guessed it could actually happen. But he was here, unabashedly enjoying the sight she was providing in her attire – if she could call it like that.

She was at loss for words, she didn't know what to do or say. _Go quickly back to the bathroom?_ Yeah, she would make another show since her ass was just covered partially. And it didn't give her the certainty that he wouldn't follow her there. _Ask him why he is staring at her like that?_ Well, both knew that he was undressing her with his eyes since she was wearing just a towel and it was clear she was naked under it. Moreover, the conversation would probably end in very dangerous waters.

_Go closer to him and push him out of the door while chewing him out? Who he thinks he is to enter her room without asking?_ Well, that was practically impossible since she couldn't make her body move, and she was afraid that the moment she touched him, all of her willpower would be gone. She wasn't far away from having an orgasm just by the way he was looking at her. She rather suppressed any thought of what a touch from him might do to her.

_Ask him what he is doing here?_ That was probably the most reasonable thing to do. He was supposed to be in his room, unpacking his things and preparing himself for dinner. He certainly wasn't supposed to be in her room, admiring her body wrapped in a small towel. And she knew him well enough to know what kind of thoughts were circling around in his head.

However, she couldn't but notice what he was wearing. She loved these particular jeans on him and her breath caught in her throat when she noticed the black T-shirt. It was a T-shirt she'd given him as a Christmas present because she had thought it might look good on him and she hadn't been mistaken. He looked incredibly sexy and ruggedly handsome and so attractive as the T-shirt hugged his form in the places that she ached to touch.

She had to shake her head at herself. She'd bought that T-shirt while she was choosing a Christmas present for Ray. Instead of buying something for him, she had ended up buying this piece of clothing for Tony. She had seen him in it few times, but had never drooled over it like she was right now. Her mind already started working in very inappropriate ways as a few flashes of another sexual fantasy appeared in her head, seeing herself take the T-shirt off him, or more like tear it off him.

Thanks to it and her rationality, she managed to snap herself out of her reverie and she realized how long they had been staring at each other without a word. She composed herself and got back to her agent mode. "Tony, what the hell are you doing here?" She hissed at him, trying to sound irritated, covering the fact that they couldn't take their eyes off each other.

His eyes narrowed but he took his time and once again roamed her body in the towel, watching with an amused smirk how she tightened the fabric around herself like if she was afraid that it might fall down. Not that he would mind it because the first thought of his in the moment he had seen her was that this towel should be gone very soon. And he decided to take care of it. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

He could notice that she blushed a bit when she saw him openly ogle her, but her eyes were telling him that he really should clarify why he so rudely dared to come into her room without asking her for permission and abused their sleeping arrangements by making use of this opportunity. And the fact he didn't think of knocking, just to be sure she was actually inside, wasn't helping him in this situation.

He stretched out his hand and showed her the purpose of his visit. "I brought you your shoes, you left them in my baggage. I just wanted to give them to you." He said innocently, proving that his intention certainly wasn't to interrupt her during her shower and take advantage of her state of undress. But it didn't mean he wasn't glad for that he surprised her like that.

Ziva looked at the shoes he was holding in his hand. They were really hers. She didn't have enough space for them in her own baggage and Tony was the only one who had. So she'd gratefully accepted his offer that she could put them in his baggage with assurance he would give them to her later in the hotel. So he was here truly unintentionally, he just wanted to give her the shoes because he knew she might need them.

"Ah, that's nice..." She answered. "You can put them over there, thank you." She pointed her finger at the spot where her baggage lay on the floor. It was farther away from her because, even though she needed those shoes with the dress she chose for tonight, and the dress was hanging on the wardrobe just few steps away from her, she didn't want him to come closer.

Tony just nodded in understanding, using that nod to give another appreciative gaze on her body and then made few steps aside to put the shoes on the place she indicated. His eyes, however, never left hers. He didn't dare to break the eye contact because he tried to hypnotize her, to keep her in the state she was in. Nothing was so advantageous for him like her current incompetence to stop him.

He bent down to put the shoes down and straightened back up, returning to the place where he was standing before. He didn't have any intention to go back to his room, he wanted to stay here. This was a chance he couldn't let to slip away, he finally had the opportunity to show her how much he actually cared about her and maybe to finally let his feelings out of his chest and stop being a coward.

He had never thought he might fall so deeply in love with someone like that once again, but apparently it was possible. He had been crazy about her for years, but the fact that he couldn't tell her was tearing him apart. There was too much unfinished business between them, moreover she'd had a boyfriend and he couldn't think of anything better than to start sleeping with EJ just to forget for a while about his feelings for his co-worker.

But EJ knew he loved her, she wasn't blind and stupid. That's why it wouldn't work between them, so she'd rather let him go. However, when finally CIRay was out of his way, he had to have bumped into his ex-fiancé who had to have reminded him how much love can hurt and how painful feeling it sometimes was. But even she'd recognized immediately that his heart was captivated and that it belonged to another woman.

He had tried to suppress it, to fight against it, but to no avail. She had found a way to his heart and, to his mind, she was giving him the oxygen he needed for breathing, and her smile was what was keeping him alive and sane. He couldn't think of anyone else, even if he wanted to. But he knew she wasn't ready. He was aware that her feelings for him didn't have to have the nature he so much wanted.

So, to prevent himself from unrequited love and to satisfy his needs a bit, he'd started to build a totally new kind of relationship between them. In friendly way, of course, he didn't want to scare her. So the going out they practiced over the last few months was completely innocent. He'd even assured her that he didn't expect anything else from her and that he didn't take it as dating.

Nevertheless, his feelings were too strong so as the time passed, it became more for him than friendly leisurely activities. It was helping him to deal with his feelings without revealing them, so even though he knew that when she took his hand, smiled at him or kissed him on a cheek, she meant it in non-romantic way, his heart always leapt in his chest, but that was all that happened. It delighted him, made him happy, and that was enough for him.

But lately, he had begun to question whether she might have similar feelings for him. She thought he didn't know about it but he was pretty aware of their secret sleeping snuggles when he 'accidentally' fell asleep in her apartment. He'd once woken up during the night and registered their sleeping position but he certainly wasn't complaining, so he left it like that. He'd wanted to ask her about it the next morning but she had been gone and pretended that she'd slept in her bedroom.

So he didn't push her about it, he was smarter than that. He'd acted as if he dozed off the other night, waiting for what she will do and she'd totally taken his breath away. It hadn't taken her long to wrap herself up into his embrace and sleep with him on her couch, sometimes even watching him in his sleep and tracing her fingers all over his face. However, in the morning, she hadn't been in the same place, looking totally innocently and creating false presumption that she had slept in her bed.

He didn't know what to think about it and why she pretended that it wasn't happening, but she apparently had some reason for doing so. To be honest, he wanted to talk about it with her here at the wedding. It was a great opportunity, they were finally out of work, at the wedding where they should enjoy themselves and not to be tied by some rules or duties. He was determined to make her talk to him and try to find out what her feelings towards him were, if she had some, of course.

So, he was overjoyed with their sleeping arrangements, knowing he might enter into her room at any time he could and the same went for her. He was rather curious as to whether she wanted to take advantage of it and sneak into his room during the night, so he couldn't wait for the rehearsal dinner to be over, even before it began. This was the opportunity he waited for so long.

Everything was going well and the fact he just caught her wearing just a tiny piece of fluffy fabric was just great. _How could she defend herself when she is practically naked? How hard it could be to seduce her and show her how deep his love actually is? _It was a challenge, a dream that just came true and he couldn't do anything else than accept this offer. It wasn't just about the sex, he wouldn't do that to her, but he couldn't find any other way how to convince her about his feelings. And the situation they were just in was suggesting itself, screaming at him to go for it.

He was just three or four steps away from her, watching her in amazement as few drops fell down her hair ends and streamed their way down her arms. It was a fascinating sight and he hungered to stop them by licking them off her skin, tasting her delicate body. He was sure that the flavour would become his favourite, and he wouldn't want anything else to eat in the following years of his life.

Ziva watched him alertly, her heart threatening to explode, though she tried to suppress by her calm breathing, but it was still beating like she had just run a marathon. She could hear the blood rushing through her veins, supported by those loud thuds her heart was beating. She was thrilled and afraid of the gleam in his eyes that clearly showed what kind of fantasy he was experiencing.

But her ninja-agent senses kicked back in and she was determined to put an end to this staring-at-each-other thing. "Thank you, Tony. You can leave now." She expressed her thanks again just in case he didn't hear it before and politely signalled to him to go away. She tried to sound completely normal, not at all nervous or shaky. All she needed was him to go back to his room so she could be absolutely fine again.

However, all he did was lick his lips visibly as he watched hers moving and cross his arms across his chest cheekily as he looked her up and down. Even though what she said sounded reasonable and understandable, her eyes were telling totally different story, he could see that. The only way she could get him out of her room was to ask him to leave, but it had to be completely serious so he would know that she wanted his leaving on one hundred percent. And her eyes were now telling him that she wanted him to stay.

"I don't think I want to leave." He said calmly, looking directly into her eyes, wanting to convince her that he wasn't making fun of her and that he was pretty serious.

She furrowed her eyebrows, taken aback by his answer and momentarily forgetting that she was standing in front of him wrapped in nothing but a towel. _Why would he want to stay?_ Sure, they had agreed on that they would go to the wedding 'together' – she didn't want to be bothered by some men, she wasn't in mood for it and he neither so they made a deal about becoming a safeguard if such situation occurred. But that was supposed to be happening in the company of the others, not when they were alone.

She opened her mouth to ask him what was happening with him and what it was supposed to mean but her words got caught in her throat and in that moment he suddenly made a step forward, closer to her. She was literally rooted to the floor, unable to react in any way as her heart stopped beating and she just stared at him with a mixture of consternation and fear, but she found it exciting and cheering as well.

He ceased his movement immediately and watched her reaction to his first attempt on some advance towards her. She was completely astounded and the only unconscious reaction she made was that she tightened the towel around herself for assurance. It seemed that somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware of his intentions, and her eyes narrowed while her pupils darkened with desire in the moment the realization dawned on her. Like he thought – although her mouth was ordering him to leave, her eyes were begging him to stay.

It encouraged him to make another step forward, but he was still cautious and waited for her reactions. After all, he didn't want to force her to do something she didn't want to. But in that case, she had to say it. He was just giving her the chance to back away if she wanted to because his plan had to be pretty obvious right now. He really wasn't going to slip such a chance away.

She gulped as her heart again kicked in and she took a deep breath to calm herself down but it wasn't helping. She was literally panting, so she put her arms over chest to cover her breasts once more so he wouldn't watch as it heaved up and down under her fitful short breaths. She was terrified but on the other hand she couldn't hide the excitement over his actions, hoping that he really wanted to go further.

Either way, she finally managed to get her body to work and took a step backwards. Her common sense was still the winning element in her brain, so although her libido wanted nothing else than to fall into his arms and let him to make her his, she knew it was wrong. They should talk first, at least, because they had a plenty of issues to solve between them. Then she could finally give in. But judging by his current behaviour, the talk was the last thing he would like to do right now.

He smirked in amusement at the tiny step she took, because it didn't even have the length of half of his footstep so he was still a lot closer to her than he was just few seconds ago. He broke the eye contact they had been holding for an eternity and slipped his eyes down to her heaving chest as the calmness of hers was slowly fading away. Because even though she had her hands over her chest to hide her breasts from him, he could clearly see the way she was breathing heavily.

Another step of his followed, and this time she reacted immediately and started her way backwards. But it was only tiny step again, she didn't try to leave quickly or something. She parted her lips and inhaled the fresh air by her mouth, intensifying her breathing even more. It was noticeable that she was very confused – on the one hand she wanted him to stop these advances but on the other, there was nothing she wanted more.

He couldn't help than chuckle when he took another step forward while she did the same but in the other direction, digging her nails into the fluffy fabric wrapped around her body, trying desperately to hold onto something. Her lips moved in desperation but no actual words came out as she was silently asking him what he was doing and why. She was so engrossed in keeping some distance between them that she didn't realize he was leading her right towards the place where he wanted her to be.

But it dawned on her the moment they continued in their dance consisting of her step backwards and his step forward. She gave out a surprised gasp when her back hit something solid behind her and it took her a while to register that she couldn't make any movement further. Her eyes widened in fear because she didn't have any route to escape now. He was less than one step away from her and she couldn't step aside because it wouldn't help her in any way.

She instinctively looked behind her to see why she was unable to carry on in moving backwards, only to find that she crashed into the door to bathroom as she guessed, judging by the doorknob. It was her great mistake that she stopped perceiving him, because he took advantage of her current obliviousness and took the final step to bring their bodies closer.

_**The End of Chapter 2**_

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><p><strong>Does this count as cliffhanger? :D Well, probably... And I'm not sorry for in the least, once again. ;) <strong>

**Well, I hope you liked the chapter – we had more of Ziva's feelings in the last one, now we focused more on Tony's – I assure you, his intentions are really pure. ;) He will show it during the following chapters, you can bet on it. This story is truly about love, not just the sexual tension between them so you don't have to worry about them. They'll reach the mutual understanding in some point. **

**I want to thank you again for your responses, I was completely surprised with it and if you want to tell me what your opinion is, I don't have any complaints. :) Thank you also for your patience to wait for this chapter for so long – school and friendship duties, plus some health problems (my gallbladder hates me) came into my way, and I now promise, the updates will come every week on Monday. ;)**

**Love you all and have a wonderful week! I totally have since my classes were cancelled for today and we have public holiday tomorrow so I don't have to get up so early. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:**

**I love you, I love you, I love you ALL! Seriously, you're again making my week so amazing, I just love to read your reviews, your reactions and your opinions. You have no idea what it means for me and how much I appreciate it, really. Thank you all thousand times, I don't think there are enough words that could express how grateful I am to you.**

**Thanks to all my Guest reviewers, I'm glad you're still with me and enjoy the story.**

**To ****Celine Krause**** – good to see you again! Trust me, the story will be so realistic because the sexual tension will rise to the moment when you all will want to strangle me for not letting them to give in yet. :D So, if you'll be patient enough and will enjoy it, I can promise to you that the waiting is totally worth to wait. ;)**

**To ****Debbie**** – you're a very good reader since your daughter can give you the insight on what's next since she's my Beta, but you're patient enough to see the final product. :) Really, thank you so much for getting me together with your daughter. I hope you'll enjoy the rest as much.**

**To ****mishka**** – I'm glad that there is someone out there who love descriptive stories because this one is very descriptive – that's why we don't get to the business immediately. I love to explore every aspect of the seduction I can, so enjoy it! **

**To ****Azucar**** – Thank you so much for the appreciation, I'm lucky to have you as a reader. :) You'll see how it unfolds, just read!**

**Thank you again and I hope you'll enjoy this piece of seductive jigsaw. ;) We're one step closer to the sweet surrender...**

**And after some persuasion (yes, I'm looking at you, ****Eve****!) I created a blog on tumblr! The link is in my profile since it's not possible to post a link in here because it gets erased everytime. So, if you're interested, you know where to find me, in other place than here. **

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 3<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_But it dawned on her the moment they continued in their dance consisting of her step backwards and his step forward. She gave out a surprised gasp when her back hit something solid behind her and it took her a while to register that she couldn't make any movement further. Her eyes widened in fear because she didn't have any route to escape now. He was less than one step away from her and she couldn't step aside because it wouldn't help her in any way._

_She instinctively looked behind her to see why she was unable to carry on in moving backwards, only to find that she crashed into the door to bathroom as she guessed, judging by the doorknob. It was her great mistake that she stopped perceiving him, because he took advantage of her current obliviousness and took the final step to bring their bodies closer._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

He immediately trapped her between the closed door and his strong frame, watching her gulping as she looked back at him, and he could see the realization in her eyes. She knew she didn't have any chance to escape and what was about to come, so she opted for gripping the towel between her fingers to prevent him from stripping it off her. Her eyes could then only follow as he put his hands around her head to emphasize the entrapped and helpless situation she was in.

But none of his actions had a bad effect on her. She didn't feel smothered or downtrodden. On the contrary, she was excited, and was getting aroused by each passing second. The biggest proof were the butterflies in her stomach tossing from side to side, making her to feel giddy, the sudden moisture between her legs she couldn't control and only confirmed her want for him, and her hardened nipples ached for his touch as they stretched against the fabric of the towel and rubbed alongside it with every breath she took.

However, it didn't mean that her common sense had abandoned her. She was still convinced that they should talk, even though it was pretty hard for her to make her brain work. She pushed aside her current state of excitement that began to overcome the fear, and hardened her gaze as she looked directly into his eyes sharply, determined to warn him about possible consequences if he continued with those advances.

"Tony, what do you think you are doing?" She asked him in a whisper, immediately gulping to water her dry mouth.

The smile he gave her and the playful twinkle in his eyes softened her features again, and she could only curse herself for it. He wasn't supposed to know that she was actually thrilled with the current situation. She should be able to control herself and very clearly sign him that nothing between them could happen, until they seriously talked about their relationship.

He opened his mouth to reply on her question, wanting to tell her that she knew very well what he was doing, and that she didn't have to deny she wanted him as well because he could noticeably see it. But no words left his mouth because his eyes suddenly caught something, and he couldn't help but stare in utter fascination at it as if it was some sort of miracle.

Since her hair was still wet, some drop always fell down here and there. Now, one drop found its way from the nape of her neck to the front, and slowly but surely continued its way down as gravity naturally affected it. He couldn't tear his eyes off it as the drop traced her collarbone before it reached the top of her left breast and disappeared beneath her hands, since she still had them crossed across her chest.

She registered his reverie and looked down to find out what had captivated him so much. She saw the drop, she even felt it as it flew further down her breast slantwise, getting in between her bosom and finally finishing its journey as it got absorbed by the towel's fabric. He saw it as well because her hands couldn't cover everything so she was revealing small hole right in her décolletage where her breasts swelled.

He continued staring for a while, but eventually, he lifted his head back up and raised his right hand as he slowly started to trace the line of the drop with his forefinger. "Right now..." He began to finally answer her, and heard the gasp she gave out when he touched her skin. When she noticed his words, she looked at him, trying to ignore the finger that just played with her collarbone and, rather, focused on tightening the towel around herself.

Tony just smiled and went on, inwardly wondering why she fought against it so much. "...I'm trying not to think how easy it is..." His next words weren't calming her in any way so he could even feel her heartbeat when his finger ran across her hand, not daring to touch her breasts yet.

He locked his eyes with hers as he ended up in the place where the drop had been seen for the last time, hooking his finger to the towel. "...to take this and just unwrap it." He said with a voice darkened by lust, musing aloud his greatest desire. It really wasn't hard to take it off and throw it away as far as possible so she would be standing in front of him stark naked.

Ziva wanted so much to grab his finger and push it away, but she somehow couldn't. The thought itself, him stripping her of the towel, was making her desirous, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him that he shouldn't even think about it. Her eyes were screaming at him to do it and not to hesitate to take her against this stupid door, to make her his, to give them both the satisfaction they so much craved for.

However, the way he made his intentions clear pissed her off as well. _Who the hell does he thinks he is?_ She was Ziva David, ex-Mossad assassin, NCIS agent and very independent woman. She was supposed to be the one in control, not him. She was supposed to order him to leave her be and force him to go back to his room, not that he would dare to try to take advantage of her like that. And certainly she wasn't supposed to start trembling just because he looked at her. She needed to get a grip over her emotions again and not to show how horny he actually made her.

As the anger in her was rising up, a new determination appeared, as well, and her gaze again hardened as she looked him up and down strictly. "Well, if I were you, I wouldn't dare to do it. You know very well I can kill you for it." She made a threat, suddenly very confident. He needed to be reprimanded for his insolence. He had to understand that he couldn't just play with her like she was some kind of a doll.

But instead of showing some fear that he actually was scared of what she might do to him if he tried to take the towel off her, he just smiled and chuckled in amusement. He pulled out his finger and slowly rubbed the fluffy fabric as he slid his hand down on her waist, making her stern face fade, replaced with mixture of anxiety and eagerness. It was all the same once more. Even though her mouth was threatening him, her body and her eyes didn't mean it. On the contrary, they urged him to do it and cross the line.

"Oh, sure you can." He uttered with a smug smile on his face, revelling in her despair, because sooner or later, she had to find out she was completely in his mercy and there was no way she could win. Well, he was actually pretty sure that by the moment he would be finished with her, they would both be winners.

He gave a little squeeze to her waist and continued with his hand lower on her exposed thigh, finally touching her in a way he could only imagine until now. Her breathing again laboured as she clung onto the towel, afraid that he would try to pull it down. Her legs felt like jelly and she couldn't do anything to shove his hand away, so she just curled her toes and carried on in staring at him.

He moistened his lips and watched as she leaned her head against the door for support and half-closed her eyes to enjoy the pleasure when he started to caress her thigh gently. "But let's be honest. Without revealing certain parts of your body, I highly doubt you'd be able to do it." He stated, feeling a bit sorry for her because she was truly helpless while he dared to shift his hand higher and teased with his fingers the outline of her butt.

She bit her lip in desperation to stop the moan that formed deep inside her throat and still clenched the towel between her hands. Then she opened her eyes fully as another realization began to dawn on her, but it took her some time to finally admit the seriousness of the situation she was in because she could only yelp in surprise in the moment he reached his hand on her inner thigh and tickled her.

He chuckled again, having a good time with teasing her, and completely satisfied with how wonderfully responsive woman she was. He carefully observed every tiny element of her behaviour, because he wanted to know how she looked when he was doing to her whatever he wanted. Especially when he knew she wanted him to do all those things, but for whatever reason tried to make him stop.

His hand then cupped her cheek to be sure she would look directly at him and wouldn't try to avert her gaze from his because he needed her to see how serious he was about his next statement. "And truth to be told, I would die for that sight." He told her, openly admitting that one of his greatest wishes was to see her naked. But not only for fun or for satisfying his curiousness, he wanted all of her because he was in love with her.

Ziva could only stare at him in awe, trying to absorb everything he just said to her. She was mad at him because he was right, and she hated when he was right. Especially in situations like this one because he had the upper hand. And she didn't like not being able to be control. But it was completely truth that without making a show, she wasn't able to stop him, so he could actually do with her whatever crossed his mind.

There were no holds or punches she could perform effectively enough without being afraid of that the towel would fall down, and no way she could prevent him from grasping the towel between his hands and trying to tear it off her while he would be falling on the ground after she kicked him straight into his crotch. Simply none of her training – special or just general – solved her problem with the bloody tiny towel. In any case, she would always reveal some part of her naked body.

Of course, if it was some matter of life and death, she would stop him immediately, there was no question about it. If it was anyone else, she would do it without hesitation as well – the person trying to harass her wouldn't probably see the light of the day ever again. But this situation was significantly different and she knew it, not to mention that vast majority of her personality didn't want anything else than discard the towel and give in.

But this wasn't some ordinary person she could see only once in her life. This was Tony. Her Tony. Well, she meant her co-worker, her partner and her friend, of course. She'd used the possessive pronoun 'her' just to emphasize their close relationship. It hadn't had the meaning that he was actually hers. They weren't a couple and certainly not married so she didn't have any right to usurp him.

Anyway, in some way he had always been hers and she had always been his. But that didn't mean she wanted him to see her naked because, like she had remarked before, this was Tony. The man she lov-... _OK, that is a bit premature... _The man she was probably falling in love with, the man she saw every day in the office, the man who always cared about her no matter how many times she tried to push him away. He had been always here, ready to do everything for her.

There was just no way how she could win this time. Either way, if she tried to kick him or something, or if she let him to unwrap the towel, she would end up naked in front of him and they both know what would happen next. He'd just stepped into her room in the right moment and had known very well what to do to get her where he wanted her to be. The only thing she could do to get out of this completely hopeless situation was to surrender and accept the fate.

He started to stroke his thumb across her cheek, looking deeply into her eyes and trying to find whether she might have some feelings for him or not. She was getting nervous with that gaze because it was so powerful and so passionate that it made her blush, and her body was washed by a heat wave from head to toe. Moreover, she knew she had to react somehow soon, and she still couldn't decide how.

Then it hit her that she had a door from the bathroom behind her and that she might use it to her profit. The only escape route that remained. Yes, it was cowardly to hide herself from him in the bathroom and it didn't give her any assurance that he wouldn't wait for her in front of the door, but at least there was the bathrobe inside. She could use it to cover her body completely and finally to get rid of this excuse of a towel. Then she could kick him out without being afraid she might end up naked.

The problem was how to do it. The doorknob was near her, on the right side, but he would probably immediately register, despite his sudden daze, that she stopped gripping the towel and tried to reach for it, so he would know about her plan before she would even have the chance to carry it out. So if there was any way how to get into the bathroom without him trying to prevent her, it was a swift and unexpected action.

She tried to hypnotize him with her gaze, and when she was sure he was distracted enough, she broke free from his embrace, let go of the towel with her right hand and quickly turned around to grab the doorknob and enter the bathroom, hoping she would be successful and he would be so stunned that he wouldn't be able to stop her, nor see her partially uncovered ass.

But he was faster than her, he wasn't in such deep trance that he couldn't register what was happening, and besides, he suspected she might try some escape manoeuvre like the one she had just done so he was rather cautious about any sings that might indicate she would try it. Before she even had the chance to touch the doorknob, he grasped her by her wrist, turning her back to him and pinning her right hand with his above her head on the door.

"Wrong move, sweetcheeks. You're not going anywhere." He clicked with his tongue disapprovingly and shook his head at her. _She couldn't think she might escape so easily, could she?_ He tightened his grip on her wrist, just to be sure she wouldn't try to break free as he watched her eyes full of anger, and wanted so much to tell her how cute she looked when she was so desperately angry. But he knew she would probably kill him for real if he dared to say it.

Ziva was pissed that she hadn't been successful, but on the other hand, her traitorous body loved the way he had roughly prevented her from hiding in the bathroom. It had irritated her, but turned her on in the same time. She tried to tear her hand out of his grip, but to no avail. He just applied more force and she was powerless against him. She hated that complacent smirk on his face, wanting to wipe it off but secretly loving it.

She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled and exhaled. She was getting very confused with her own reactions as the war between her heart, libido and brain raged inside her. Her libido longed for him, ached for him and wanted so much to give in, while her brain reasoned that she could do it, but after their talk because there were too many things to resolve between them. Her heart was then the intermediary that agreed with both which wasn't helping her in any way and it bewildered her even more.

Nonetheless, the common sense was winning again, like always. She had learnt a long time ago how to suppress her real emotions in similar situations because she knew that to be reasonable was the best way to handle things. And she needed him to understand it. No matter how much they wanted each other, there were certain boundaries they just couldn't overstep so recklessly.

Their friendship and their partnership were just too important, and even though she was dying to experience how sweet it could be to give in to the temptation, she couldn't risk everything they had, and she knew he didn't want to risk it too. So, whatever made him believe that this was his right chance, in the moment she would clarify him how things really were, he might finally come to his senses.

She opened her eyes, this time a lot calmer than few seconds ago, determined to show him that she will take this as one big joke and will try to make him leave without destroying anything. However, when she looked into his eyes, she almost relented. That gaze of his made her weak in her knees as the desire for her burned in his orbs endlessly and she had to wonder where it was coming from. The undeniable sexual tension had always been between them, but what he allowed to see her in his eyes was a lot more.

She forced herself to avert her gaze from his, and, rather, focused on what she wanted to tell him. "Look Tony, I do understand your need to have fun." She said and risked another look into his eyes, only to find that he furrowed his eyebrows unbelievingly.

But she didn't let herself to be disconcerted by it and continued. "But I really think you should leave." She tried to sound sincere and serious, but it was still obvious that her body craved a completely different thing.

His frown deepened at her words, watching her incredulously, but still rather strongly gripping her hand to be sure she wouldn't try to escape again. He wasn't going to let her go, not yet. _Have fun? That's what she is thinking he is doing here? Just teasing her, casually flirting with her and messing with her?_ _That he is seducing her just for the fun of it? That he doesn't care about her enough and just wants to take advantage of her state of undress?_

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He couldn't believe she might think so lowly of him. Sure, he knew that what he was doing wasn't a very honourable way to express his feelings, but since he knew her, he was certain she wasn't ready for hearing his love confession. So, he wanted to show it to her in some other way, and this was the only one that came along. It was suggesting itself. He had hoped she might recognize his feelings for her through that.

When he didn't move and continued to stare at her with an expression of utter disbelief and didn't make any step away from her, she stopped clutching the towel and raised her left hand to put it on his chest. She had it in mind to give him a little push, just to stress her request because it looked that he needed some. She didn't know why he was suddenly so perplexed, but she really needed to put some distance between them, otherwise she couldn't be responsible for her actions.

But before she could finish her intention, and since he was still faster than her, she suddenly found herself roughly pinned to the door as he grabbed even the second hand and put it above her head as well while his body pressed onto her own. She gave out a whimper in delight and gasp in surprise as she looked confusedly into his eyes that were flaming with anger and lust.

"I'm not joking." He growled dangerously, giving her crystal clear sign that what he had done so far hadn't been some kind of a joke. He was serious, completely serious, and his plans with her had to be more than obvious.

_**The End of Chapter 3**_

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><p><strong>OK, I know the cliffhangers are not fair to you but I just love them. :) And if you consider this as a cliffhanger, then know I'm truly not sorry for it. Not even a bit.<strong>

**I sincerely hope you liked the chapter – I told you that the seduction will be very long because I love to be very descriptive to give you any tiny detail I can, so you could imagine it and live it out together with them. You can see that Tonys' intentions are really pure, he loves her and wants to show her, nothing more. If Ziva gives in, that's the question... ;)**

**Anyway, I gave you a little bit of intimate touching so what's the next level? A kiss? ;) Or kisses? Well, you'll find out next Monday in the new chapter!**

**Thank you again so much for your support, I love you all and have a nice week! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

**So, if I don't repeat it often enough – I love you, I love you and once again I love you! Thank you all for your reviews, thanks all those who followed or favourited this story, I'm overwhelmed with your reactions and I know I won't be able to express my gratitude enough. :)**

**To ****Debbie**** – I just love to write these seducing scenes, that's why it reminds you Sleepover in the Hammock, I guess. But it's only wonderful for me to know you really enjoy my stories. I can promise you that the outcome will be satisfying. ;) Thank you so much!**

**To ****Celine Krause**** – You said it perfectly! Abandon the luck because you'll get more eventually. Because that's right, she'll give in, that's for sure but I want her to be sure about it, and I want Tony to take his time because he has fun with it after all. The final result will be really worth it, I can promise that. True Christmas present. :D**

**To ****mishka**** – thank you so much! I hope you'll like the rest as well. :)**

**To ****Azucar**** – you're welcome for the shout out, you definitely deserve it because I'm truly honoured to have you as a reader. As for cliffhangers – I'm not entirely done with them, I think you can expect few... :D Sure, I can promise to you that Ziva will know very well what is about to happen before the towel slips off... ;) Thank you again and hopefully – enjoy the rest of the story!**

**You will all soon see what I'm trying to achieve and why – because as I said on the beginning – this story is about love, not just giving in to the temptation. Luckily, I have here all of you, the amazing group of readers, who are able to bear with me and are glad for my descriptive writing. For which I'm entirely grateful because I truly want to take my time because it really takes more than few words, touches and kisses to let them to yield. I truly promise that the agonizing waiting is worth it. :)**

**So, what I promised you in the last A/N – a kiss? Or kisses? Well, people – here you go! Sit down, read and hopefully enjoy! :) I hope I got it all right, if not, I'm sorry. I have one of the craziest and most exciting weekends of my life behind me so it's visible. :D I'm just overwhelmed with the amount of experiences...**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 4<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_When he didn't move and continued to stare at her with an expression of utter disbelief and didn't make any step away from her, she stopped clutching the towel and raised her left hand to put it on his chest. She had it in mind to give him a little push, just to stress her request because it looked that he needed some. She didn't know why he was suddenly so perplexed, but she really needed to put some distance between them, otherwise she couldn't be responsible for her actions._

_But before she could finish her intention, and since he was still faster than her, she suddenly found herself roughly pinned to the door as he grabbed even the second hand and put it above her head as well while his body pressed onto her own. She gave out a whimper in delight and gasp in surprise as she looked confusedly into his eyes that were flaming with anger and lust._

"_I'm not joking." He growled dangerously, giving her crystal clear sign that what he had done so far hadn't been some kind of a joke. He was serious, completely serious, and his plans with her had to be more than obvious._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

He knew something was holding her back, but she couldn't hide how much she wanted him, too. So, he wasn't exactly alone in his craving. She enjoyed it, he could see that, and now feel that because their bodies finally had direct contact. The erratic beating of her heart was from the excitement, not fear, and the way she was breathing heavily testified about the anticipation, not uncertainty.

That was why he wanted her to realize that she was fighting a losing battle. He wanted her to become aware of her own desire so she could stop with the resistance and finally give in. So, he loosened the grip he had on her hands, giving her a great chance to break free out of it, kick him or somehow injure him and, thus, to stop him. He still didn't want to make the impression that he was pushing her into something. He wanted her to know that there was always the possibility of some escape.

But she couldn't bring herself to do anything, even though she felt that her hands were able to free themselves out of his grip. It completely stunned her how amazingly their bodies fit together like a damn good jigsaw. With their forms moulded to each other, she just wasn't able to react. The only thing that came into her mind was that she could stay like that forever.

Her eyes followed the orders of her libido and slipped down on his lips, showing him the signal that she expected him to kiss her. She didn't see his small, triumphant smile as she lifted her eyes back up to look into his. She shivered when she saw he did the same thing, but he added a more lustful sparkle into it than her. She was losing in the depths of his eyes, feeling suddenly powerless.

And in that moment, as her instinct for self-preservation started to work, her brain kicked back in and she again began to perceive what was happening. All she could think about was that she needed to stop him because if he kissed her, it would be her undoing. She could stand his proximity, his touches, his gaze and everything else he might do to try seduce her, but she couldn't cope with a kiss. It was his greatest weapon. Not even his piercing stare could compare to it.

But none of her previous attempts to stop him had worked. She had tried to play it at it being nothing, she had tried to threaten him, she had tried to escape and she had even tried to downplay it. But he was still in front of her, driving her crazy because he didn't retreat even a bit. The only way that remained was to beg – to finally stop playing grown-up girl who can take care of herself and admit that she was too weak to stop him by any other way and, thereby, to concede that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, but there were reasons why they couldn't do it.

She bit her lip and whimpered inwardly when he began to lean in for a kiss, checking her eyes for assurance that her hesitance wasn't just a trap and she didn't want just to distract him. When he reached her nose, he couldn't resist and nuzzled it a bit, closing his eyes and smiling widely, sensing as she parted her lips and breathed out because her hot breath fanned his cheek.

He opened his eyes again and focused on the appetizing mouth of hers, knowing that all he had to do to finally feel her lips on his after such a long time was to close the millimetre gap between them and claim it. Ziva closed her eyes as she fought the battle against her libido that wanted so much to lean in and do the first step, and her brain that warned her how great mistake it would be.

"Tony, please, don't do this." She finally pleaded him a bit plaintively as an imperceptible sob escaped her mouth. She didn't feel like crying but the tension inside her chest made her to look like that.

He pulled away a bit to look at her, feeling amused with her unrelenting endeavour to escape the inevitable. He couldn't take it as an attempt to stop him because she had a lot more choices to do that. And yet, she didn't choose any of them. So, even though something was preventing her from giving in, there was also something that held her back from putting an end to this.

"Why?" He asked her, wanting to hear some compelling reason as to why he should stop. For assurance, he pressed his body against hers more closely, his ears catching her helpless, yet sexy, whimper.

Ziva opened her mouth to reply immediately, but she found herself at a loss of words. Sure, she knew what the reasons why they shouldn't cross the line were, but by that she would admit that they were the only things that were holding her back. Otherwise, she would have been in his arms already. And to be honest, she wasn't even sure whether she was ready for some serious conversation about them and their relationship.

So, it was probably safer to trivialize everything again. To gently show him that they were supposed to be responsible and that they should think about the real purpose of their presence in this hotel, which was Jimmy's wedding. The dinner was going to start soon, and they really didn't have enough time to seriously talk or to give in to the temptation. It could bring them only trouble when the others might start to search for them.

"Because this is not the right time, nor the right place to..." She began to tell him that the timing wasn't the best (if she ignored the fact she was wearing just a towel so the timing, in his opinion, was actually very great), and that they were in the hotel, which wasn't the most romantic place on Earth, and if she was supposed to give in, she wanted it to happen on some place that would be only theirs.

But she couldn't finish her thought because he just clicked with his tongue, getting tired with her, and closed the remaining distance between them, stopping her mid-sentence and making her whimper as his mouth swallowed hers. He drank, at first, from her full, delicious lips, sucking in the taste of hers that he was so familiar with. But it was a long time ago when he'd had the chance to kiss her. So to finally feel it again was heavenly.

She was too stunned to make him stop. So when he moved with his lips and started kissing her at full throttle, no other thought than to respond even cross her mind. Her brain didn't stop working, but it was suppressed by more powerful force, and that was his kiss. His amazingly and completely breathtaking kiss that made her to feel like if she was soaring in the sky.

Her legs couldn't hold her in the standing position, but the way he was pinning her to the door was enough, so she just let herself be pressed there, actually leaning against the solid material for support. Their lips moved in harmonious sync against each other as they both enjoyed the lip lock on maximum. This was the kiss they wanted to experience since the last time they had kissed and, the desire had become even stronger over the last few months.

It was seventh heaven that made them both breathless. The forbidden fruit they had decided to eat regardless of the consequences, because he just loved the way she moaned everytime he moved with his lips and she couldn't help the moans since his mouth was able to do miracles with her body. The warmth in her belly was spreading across her body, through her veins, and, judging by the way he was groaning into her mouth here and there, she guessed he felt the same.

Tony couldn't think even though he knew he had lost control over himself for a while there. But his desire to kiss her was so strong and so endless that it was getting unbearable for him. He just needed to feel her live body, to feel how she responded to him as he dared to speed up the rapidity of his kissing her, totally eating her up and not caring about anything.

Since his hands still gripped hers, he accepted her open palms and intertwined their fingers, still holding their now-joined hands above her head against the door. They were sweating as the lust and desire for each other scrambled on the surface and the body heat between them could cause a fire. It seemed that neither of them wanted to stop the kiss.

But it was necessary to inhale the so much needed oxygen that helped to preserve their life, so Tony drank in her lips for one last long moment and then released them with a soft moan. He felt dizzy, like he had drunk at least half a bottle of whisky, but it was definitely worth it. She was far better than some alcohol, she was able to induce in him something no one could ever before.

He opened his eyes and licked his lips, tasting her on them as he looked at her and saw the effect that the kiss had on her. She banged her head once lightly against the door, feeling completely bedazzled, and, with closed eyes, took a deep breath. The way he had explored her mouth without using his tongue made her wonder how the hell he was able to make her feel like that – so desirous of him and so greedy.

She shook lightly with her head to clear her mind and to make those naughty images disappear as she tried to come up with some intelligible sentence. "We shouldn't be doing this. There are too many..." She began as the reasonable side of her kicked back in and she couldn't just stop thinking about how wrong this kiss was. Although it was amazing, it shouldn't have happened.

"For every reason you can come up with why we shouldn't, I'll tell you at least three other reasons why we should." He whispered huskily, interrupting her train of thoughts and her attempts to stall the inevitable. The primal need for each other was there and they couldn't do anything to stop it.

She opened her eyes swiftly and looked up at him in astonishment. _Three other reasons? Damn, she couldn't even remember a stupid single one why they shouldn't continue! _Something in her mind was telling her that this wasn't right, that they should do something important before completely giving in, but she couldn't remember for the life of her what exactly it was.

She didn't know what to think, she didn't know what to do – he had totally robbed her of her words and ability to come up with something reasonable. She was sure about just one thing – she wanted another kiss. And then another. And what was even worse, at least her brain told her so, she wanted more, she craved for more. She was already so bloody aroused that if he put his hand on the right place, he would know it. All caused by his kiss.

Tony watched the inner struggle in her eyes, not quite believing that he was able to make her feel so confused. It was really a losing battle because he didn't care what was holding her back, and why she still made attempts to stop him without some actual action. Words definitely weren't going to stop him, not when he finally had her in a place where he wanted had her to be in for years. Only if she directly told him to stop and leave, then he would really let her be, because that would mean she was serious. What she had told him so far, however, wasn't convincing enough for him to abandon his plan.

She was torn apart, not knowing which part of her body was suggesting the right decisions, and if he was supposed to step away from her and return back to his room, he wanted her to be one hundred percent sure. That meant just one part of her body had to win. It would be either win for him, as well, or a defeat. But at least he would know where they were standing, now, and how deep the connection in their relationship actually was. He just wanted to know whether there was any chance to convince her about his feelings and show her how wonderful it would be if they made a couple.

And to help her to decide, he opted for another kiss. This time a rather passionate one as he bent down and, without warning or space for her to protest, crashed his lips onto hers and set a pace she was barely able to keep up with. Nevertheless, she responded immediately and completely naturally with fervent vigour, letting him kiss her thoroughly and taste everything that could be tasted.

He finally stopped pinning her hands above her head and let them fall down by her sides and started to gently caress her bare arms. She was glad for it because the blood was almost gone by that time and it took her some time to make her hands work again. She reached for some support, finding it in his biceps, digging her nails in desperation into his muscles.

He, meanwhile, finished the inspection of her arms, currently teasing the rim of the towel with his fingers, but knowing he still wasn't entirely done with her, so it was a bit early to take it off her. She moaned when he ran his forefinger across the upper part of her breasts, tickling her a bit to tease her, and smiling into her mouth when he registered that she wrapped her right leg around his to bring him closer. It was an unconscious action which was exactly what made it so special and amazing.

But then he grabbed her neck and buried his fingers into her hair, making them both to forget about everything around them and just fully pay attention to their make-out session. They only focused on the movement of their lips, to enjoy it and to satisfy each other, leisurely drinking and tasting like if they were in the finest restaurant on Earth, knowing that this was their last meal.

She felt one of his hands stop raking her damp hair and shift on her back as he traced his fingers across her shoulder blade. She raised her hands in unwitting protest but he suddenly changed the angle of the kiss, and she could just try to find something to hold on to keep the passion inside her and not to explode on the spot. She dug her nails into his shirt, grasping it, and through her mind flashed the fantasy she'd had when she had realized what he was wearing – how she tore this black T-shirt off him.

But even this image soon disappeared and only darkness followed when he slipped his hand down her back, going lower and gripping her waist through the thin material of the towel and making her shiver. She moaned deeply in delight when he massaged the skin on her waist and wished that his hand would stuck beneath the towel so she might feel it skin on skin.

She repaid the favour as her fingers travelled up his chest, reaching the nape of his neck, playing with his hair there. The pent-up passion which was locked up deep inside her for so long, forced her to wrap her arms around his neck and make him completely swallow her with his kiss as she pulled his head down and changed the angle, taking a charge of the kiss for a while.

She didn't want to give up his marvellous lips, no matter how much her mouth hurt from those rapid movements and how much her lungs screamed for a bit of fresh air. It was like a drug and, moreover, it was so liberating to finally use their mouths this way, because this wasn't part of some undercover assignment or kiss of gratitude or sudden expression of feelings because they were in life or death situation.

This was finally the kiss that was supposed to happen ages ago but they were too reasonable to take such a step forward. Now, when it seemed that their common sense had completely abandoned them, she didn't see any reason why she should give it up. Although, something in the back of her mind was still nudging her that she should give a chance to her brain to explain what exactly was wrong on it.

_But how could she resist him when he is making such exciting advances to her? How could she tell him "no" after he looked deeply into her eyes where she saw the desire and need for her and he could see the same in hers? How was she supposed to hold out when his mouth was letting out those persuasive words?_ Suddenly, her eyes flew open in realization. _Talk!_ That was they were supposed to do before they could give in.

She quickly tore away herself from him, taking a deep breath to suck in the fresh air and, despite the blackness she could see as the aftermath of the kiss, she knew exactly why she put an end to it. They were supposed to talk. She had to know what this meant for him. This wasn't some game anymore, it was getting pretty serious and she needed him to know how much was at stake.

Tony thought that she just needed to refill her lungs with oxygen, so he didn't step away from her and didn't demand why she suddenly cut off the sinfully sweet kiss. "Wow." He whispered through the thick haze that had enveloped him, completely stunned with the way she had taken over the kiss, finally showing him that her want had a similar intensity as his.

"Tony..." She sighed urgently, trying to signal to him that they should talk about this before they would decide whether it was worth the risk to go further. She lifted her head up and emphasized her plea with an imploring gaze because this was very important to her.

Judging by his slightly disappointed stare, she guessed he wasn't somewhat enthused by her hesitance. She could even see the hurt in his face because he thought when she had kissed him back and even later had taken the initiative, that he had won and she had wanted the same thing as he. Apparently, he had been wrong. But he didn't give up so easily. He was sure he wasn't the only one who craved for more. But then, he didn't understand why she was still trying to stop him without distinctly clear request.

He slipped his second hand down from her neck alongside her arm, noticing the obvious tremble of her body as he was doing so. Even the gasp she tried to stifle with a bite on her lip didn't pass unnoticed, and he knew that she still wasn't sure what exactly she wanted. So he used it to his own advantage. "Come on, I can see you want it." He told her, hoping that reactions of her own body would finally convince her enough.

He put his hands securely around her waist and squeezed it, knowing that she was very responsive, so it didn't surprise him when she arched her body and leaned her head against the door behind her to find some support. She breathed out shakily, trying to find some answer to what he had said, but to be honest, her treacherous body was replying for itself.

Tony took it as a sign that she didn't protest and decided to show her that whatever she said didn't match with what her body wanted because it evidently desired him. And he didn't want to retreat when he'd gotten so far. Truth to be told, they had already crossed every boundary that was between them and just to put it back up wasn't exactly what he wished for.

Despite what she might think, he didn't try to seduce her for nothing. He wanted to show her his feelings for her and words, in this case, weren't enough. She wouldn't believe him, not now when he was making advances to her and she would take it as another attempt to get her into the bed. So he had to persist, and when the realization that she didn't have any other choice than to yield dawned on her, he could change the direction and show her that his aim wasn't just casual sex to resolve the sexual tension between them, but that he wanted something on more serious level with her: to make love.

_**The End of Chapter 4**_

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><p><strong>So, another piece of puzzle - hope you liked it, people! :) I promised you kisses and you got them! We're slowly revealing what is really going here...<strong>

**I know that the waiting is getting frustrating but I really promise you that every chapter has its meaning, every described detail is important for the development and understanding for the story. So please, bear with me and be patient. ;)**

**Anyway, for how long do you think Ziva will be able to keep resisting? ;) And will Tony convince her? You'll see that in following chapters! As for the next one – it's coming next Monday, of course, and we'll get to see some of Tonys' persuasion skills... ;) Curious what does it mean? Well, you'll see next week!**

**Until then - have a nice week everyone, I love you all to the moon and back for all the support, because it means a world to me. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:**

**Wonderful new week, everyone! Another Monday has come and we're on Chapter 5 today... Can't believe it goes so quickly. :D Hope you all had an amazing weekend and that you enjoyed your time.**

**I want to thank again to those who reviewed, followed my story or put it into their favourites. You don't even know what it means for me to have such a wonderful group of people around me. :)**

**To ****Debbie**** – I'm glad I can never disappoint you. :) Thank you so much and I'm endlessly grateful to you for your daughter and the fact you're my reader and that you led her to me.**

**To ****Azucar**** – ha, there are more kisses to come so just go read! :) Thank you again for your wonderful review, you always make me smile.**

**What I have in store for you today? Hm, let's see... Tony's persuasion skills go into overdrive, for how long can Ziva resists? ;) Enjoy the reading!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 5<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_Tony took it as a sign that she didn't protest and decided to show her that whatever she said didn't match with what her body wanted because it evidently desired him. And he didn't want to retreat when he'd gotten so far. Truth to be told, they had already crossed every boundary that was between them and just to put it back up wasn't exactly what he wished for._

_Despite what she might think, he didn't try to seduce her for nothing. He wanted to show her his feelings for her and words, in this case, weren't enough. She wouldn't believe him, not now when he was making advances to her and she would take it as another attempt to get her into the bed. So he had to persist, and when the realization that she didn't have any other choice than to yield dawned on her, he could change the direction and show her that his aim wasn't just casual sex to resolve the sexual tension between them, but that he wanted something on more serious level with her: to make love._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

But it required seducing her first because he already had gone too far. He took advantage of her exposed neck she so invitingly offered to him, and her moment of distraction, and bent his head down, finding her pulse point with his mouth. Her hands, which were wrapped around his neck, shifted into his hair as she groaned in delight when he started to suck the sensitive skin on her throat, teasing her jugular vein with his tongue.

She barely had a moment to consider that he might give her a hickey, which she would have to cover during the dinner and on the wedding, because he cheekily slid his hand lower and again found a way to drive her insane with his gentle caresses on her thigh. The only thing she could do was tug at his hair and moan softly when he grazed his teeth across her neck, making him smile against her skin at her powerlessness.

She just couldn't suppress a vocal expression of the satisfaction anymore, so she didn't try to stifle another deep moan when he opted for teasing her earlobe this time, and she helplessly raked his hair with her fingers. What she didn't understand was why he didn't strip her of the towel finally. It seemed that he still waited for something, but for what? She didn't know.

His decision to prove to her that she wasn't able to resist him even if she tried it with everything she had then became a reality when he made few puffs next to her ear, making her shiver. He gave her one last chance to put an end to this. "But if you really want me to leave, if you really want me to stop, then I will." He whispered into her ear, being just slightly nervous that his plan might not work the way he wanted.

Then he bit her earlobe, earning a whimper from her as her eyes flew open when she had heard his words, wondering whether he was serious. She looked up at him as he straightened back up, momentarily raising his hand from her thigh and cupping her cheek. "But you have to explicitly tell me." He challenged her, boring his eyes into hers and hypnotizing her with his yearning gaze.

She stared at him, her breathing calming slowly as she pondered her options while unconsciously playing with his hair on the nape of his neck. Although she was a bit surprised that he was giving her the chance to back away, she concluded that he did it because he actually didn't want to push her into something. But then, she didn't understand why he didn't obey her previous pleas.

"Really?" She asked him for assurance, just in case this would be some kind of trap. She was, again, so confused with herself because on one hand, she wanted him to stop because they were supposed to talk about this first, but on the other, she was a bit disappointed that he would do leave if she asked him to do so. Yes, she wanted to talk about it, but that didn't mean she wanted him to leave.

He nodded in agreement, humming affirmatively to emphasize it, as he decided to take the second step in his plan. And that was not to allow her to think, to show her how much he wanted her and she wanted him, to convince her that to fight against it was useless and to demonstrate what was awaiting her in a case she would give in to the temptation and contrarily, what she would relinquish if she decided to throw the chance away.

And the only certain way he could manage to do it was through a kiss. But not just a simple kiss or one of those they had shared recently. It had to be mind-blowing and earth-shattering kiss full of unbridled passion. Only such a kiss could make her breathless, render her speechless and convince her that whatever she might say to deny it, she would never, ever forget about that kiss and she would never, ever want to be kissed like that by any other man in the world than him.

She saw that coming so she naturally leaned her head in and parted her lips for the anticipated kiss, warmly welcoming his lips when they crashed on hers. It was only another piece of proof of how cooperative a person she was when it came to his hints, as she didn't hesitate to respond and let him to set the pace of the lip lock, sighing in pleasure into his mouth by which she deprived herself of great portion of oxygen, but that didn't interest her at all at that moment.

He didn't just crashed his lips on hers, he also collided his body into hers completely, so there was no tiny crack between them as every curve of their forms was filled with the flesh of each other. He gave her a feel of what she was doing to him and she could only moan softly when she felt the growing erection in his jeans, wanting nothing else than to strip his clothes off and accept the offer she had been given.

The leg of hers that was still wrapped around his unwittingly clenched to bring him closer and to grind his pelvis against her body even harder. His left hand travelled up her form from her waist to her face, cupping her cheek and changing the angle of the kiss marvellously. They moaned simultaneously as she massaged his neck and his skull, sending shivers down his spine while he cheekily started to trace his tongue across her lips, giving her a hint that he wanted from her to allow him admission.

But she was apparently stubborn, like always, not wanting to let him in yet. So he used his right hand to make her yield. He started slowly and gently caress her thigh again, making her whimper a bit as she was afraid that if he reached on her inner thigh, or even higher behind the rim of the stupid excuse of a towel, he would know for sure how much her body desired to continue in this and go even further, as far as possible, despite any words that could beg him to go away and forget about this.

But he knew very well what to do to weaken her self-control as his hand crept higher unnoticed, reaching her cute butt in no time and squeezing her ass insolently. She yelped in surprise, opening her mouth unwillingly, and could only react with a deep moan when he took advantage of it and shove his tongue into her mouth, seeking hers. She tried to be inactive, but he teased her with a tip of his tongue, still gripping her ass and delightfully devouring her with his kiss.

So she let herself to be consumed by it and lose herself in the sensations he was awaking in her. It was just too much for her to bear. She wasn't made of stone and her body craved him like nothing else in this moment. She took the initiative and intertwined her tongue with his, trying to ignore the smile she could feel through the way the corners of his mouth twitched upwards.

Her hands made their way from his neck down his back, purposely caressing him and forcing him to rock his hips against hers, moaning in response when he did so. His hand shifted back onto her thigh, gripping it firmly as she rubbed her hands alongside the upper part of his body, unexpectedly sticking her hands behind his T-shirt that she had given him a while ago, and finally touching his heated skin.

He groaned in pleasure as she inspected every detail of his skin beneath the black material, obviously enjoying it. She didn't see any problem with it, since he had touched her ass two times already, so she wanted to touch him as well. The butterflies in her stomach were tossing from side to side, providing her with the right amount of tickle she needed to know that this was exactly she wanted the most.

She was on the verge of collapse caused by the lack of oxygen, not at all registering that they were panting as the their lungs demanded a bit of a fresh air, when he suddenly released her lips, inhaling deeply. She whimpered in protest, wanting him to kiss her again and never stop, but she felt as her body welcomed the substance she needed for breathing.

"So?" He demanded an answer, recovering quite fast. But it wasn't that surprising because he knew very well what he wanted. He just wanted to know whether the reactions of her body were real, and whether she was aware of it, to finally crack this situation.

It took her quite a while to realize he had asked her something and what it concerned, feeling totally dazed after the incredibly fantastic kiss. She focused only on the breathing as her instinct of self-preservation began working, while he was still driving her crazy because her hardened nipples from the arousal rubbed against the fabric of the towel, and it wasn't helping her to clear her mind.

He watched her, amazed. He was satisfied with himself because she was totally incapable of doing anything and wondered whether she was aware that her hands were still caressing his back and kneading his muscles. He knocked her socks off with the kiss, it was rather noticeable, so it served to its purpose. She couldn't deny anymore that she wanted him, her subconscious actions spoke for themselves.

Ziva was slowly coming to her senses, realizing what kind of answer he expected and what his questions even had been – to tell him to stop and leave if it was really what she wanted. The problem was that she wanted neither of these. She wanted him to continue and she wanted him to stay. The only thing what prevented her from completely giving in was the need to talk between them. However, she was smart enough to know that it didn't solve anything – the talk, as necessary as it was, would only complicate things.

It was no-win situation for her. It didn't matter whether they would talk or end up in the bed eventually. Both would make things even harder than they had been before. On top of that, pretending that this had never happened had the same effect. She cursed herself for not having kicked him out the second he'd stepped in and that she'd let herself to be overpowered by his kisses, forgetting herself in the process.

Sudden panic shot through her when she distinguished a new feeling in her heart that had been hiding in the corner somewhere, waiting for just the right moment to seize her. And that was right now, as the fear appeared in full intensity. It scared her how great power he had over her because she was the one who wanted and needed to be in control. But when it came to him, she suddenly didn't have control over anything.

One stupid wink, one stupid gaze, one bloody touch and she was screwed. She couldn't deny him anything, she couldn't tell him to stop, she couldn't order him to get out of here and simply because she didn't want to. Only her common sense was making her to look like a control freak, was telling her how wrong it was, how much was at stake and what she could lose when things didn't go well.

She hated the effect he had on her, but loved it in the same time. _Odi et amo._ There was a war between her common sense she'd always relied on, and her heart and libido that had betrayed her a few times in her life. But she couldn't help the feeling that now it somehow felt right, like if it was meant to be. Like if he was supposed to be the one who might have such power over her and was actually allowed to subdue her need to be in control.

Such realization scared her even more. She had never allowed to someone to do it. _Why should it be different with Tony, then?_ Truth to be told that none of the men she'd dated had been reliable enough. She'd always claimed to take care of herself, and they had known it and respected it, despite a few rare occasions. And that applied even on Tony, although she trusted him with her life.

But suddenly, she was too weak against him because a great part of her wanted him to claim her, to make her his, to be rightfully possessive of her because her heart belonged to him. And it meant to let him to have some control over her because she would gain some control over him. They would share the control over each other. And she wasn't sure whether she was ready for such a big step.

She jerked her hands away from beneath his T-shirt, finally realizing what she had been doing the whole time, and quickly crossed her arms across her chest again to cover herself. She put her right leg back on the ground as she unwrapped it from around his and sighed deeply to calm herself down. She hated to do this but she had to, in order to preserve their friendship and partnership they'd been working on so hard for the last few years.

"Go back to your room Tony, please. For the sake of both of us." She begged him, her eyes revealing how sorry she felt for this, but it was necessary. She knew it wasn't an explicit request like he demanded to make him to go away, but it was the most she was able to say. She wasn't able to kick him out by herself, she was too weak to do it, so she hoped he would come to his senses and realize that it was better to leave things like they were.

Tony wasn't surprised at all by her reaction. He had known her long enough to foresee her future actions. He also saw the fear in her eyes and the confusion as the battle raged inside her, and she still wasn't sure which part of her body should win. What she'd shown right now had been a desperate plea, an imploring prayer that didn't match with what he'd demanded from her in any way.

Well, maybe it would be sufficient to make him leave, if it hadn't been for the second sentence she'd said. It indicated a lot more that she was admitting. It had shown perfectly how confused she was with herself. Still, he felt a bit dejected that she obviously wanted him but tried to fight against it so much. He didn't understand what her problem was exactly, especially when her eyes revealed all the regret she felt because of the rejection.

He was even a bit hurt that she didn't want to confide in him what was preventing her from giving in when her body was craving for it. They could talk about it, get this over with and continue where they'd left off, finally fulfilling their destiny because they both knew that this was bound to happen one day. He couldn't believe she wouldn't trust him enough to open her heart to him. She had to know how much he cared about her.

He also understood the thing she had tried to imply in her request, he read very well between the lines. She was unable to throw him out, both verbally and physically. She expected him to do it on his own. She didn't have enough strength to make him stop because she apparently didn't want to. She hoped he would realize how great mistake they were about to do, and tried to make him to put an end to it by himself.

In that case, she had misjudged him very much. He wasn't going to back away from this, not when he'd gotten so far. He certainly didn't want to allow her to pretend that nothing happened, which was exactly what he suspected it would happen if he went back to his room. They would either continue in what they had started, or she would finally tell him what was holding her back.

If she didn't want to tell him what her problem was and why she didn't want to give in, then fine, she didn't have to. But then she should expect some consequences, because he knew she wanted him and he saw it as the only way to express his feelings without scaring her. Because the amount of love he felt towards her was overwhelming. He was sometimes very surprised by his feelings and their strength when it came to her.

He was determined to finish this little game he had started the moment he had seen she had been wearing just a towel. She could say anything to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to her. If she really wanted him to stop and leave, then she had to say it and not to expect from him that he would get the hint and cease his advances towards her by himself. Because he wasn't going to do something he didn't want to.

He leaned over her, again completely invading her personal space and shifting his hands on her waist as he squeezed it. She arched her back naturally as the wave of heat washed over her, because to feel him pressed against her body once more was intoxicating, and she knew she was in trouble. He wasn't going to abandon his plan, she could feel the determination radiating from him.

"But that's not what I asked you to tell me. I said 'explicitly', and your request definitely wasn't explicit, sweetcheeks." He told her sweetly, feeling the warmth of her body as she flushed from head to toe, and the whimper she tried so much to muffle didn't escape his notice.

"Not that I would actually like to hear it." He added as in the afterthought because he certainly didn't want her to kick him out of here.

He looked deeply into her eyes, interrupting the frantic travelling of hers between his eyes and his lips, clearly awaiting a kiss. She was feeling totally giddy just from the way he stared at her, it was unbelievable. She was actually glad for his hands on her waist because she was sure her knees would betray her in the second she would have to stay on her own.

Tony smiled, satisfied with himself because judging by her reactions, he was rather close to his triumph. All that remained was to give her the last chance to reject him. "Anyway, if you want me to stop, then you have to say the word 'stop'." He challenged her, hoping she would fail to say it and he could finally have the definite proof she wanted him like nothing else.

Her breathing calmed down and her heart stopped beating for a while as she couldn't believe he was again giving her the chance to turn him down. He really wanted to be sure that he wasn't forcing to her to do something she actually didn't want, even though the truth was that whatever left her mouth didn't match with the desire of her body and her heart. Moreover, it was rather easy to make him leave because all he wanted to hear was one stupid word.

Except that to say the word 'stop' was suddenly extremely hard. Her voice abandoned her the moment she opened her mouth and all she was able to let out was silent words. Her brain was giving the orders to other parts of her body to say it, but it seemed that her body just didn't agree and decided to defy. She was opening and shutting up her mouth with no effect because she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

It was like she had some kind of barrier in her throat. The words got stuck inside and she couldn't get them out. She felt sick as it disgusted her that she would tell him to stop, tell him to leave, and she felt even more sickened when she considered what it would do to her if he just went away and let her to stand there while she would be shaking uncontrollably in attempt to get her arousal under control.

He watched her struggle as she apparently tried to tell him what he'd demanded from her but couldn't bring herself to do it. He refrained from singing in joy or something, but he felt unbelievingly happy that she couldn't say it because it meant she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He had to smile at her desperate face because she looked like a small lost puppy as she was getting to the realization that she truly couldn't win this.

He didn't want to be so merciless, so he gave her few seconds in addition before he let the triumphant feeling seize him. "I think I have my answer, then." He whispered, his hot breath fanning her face as he started to lean in for a kiss.

"But..." She tried to object as a last attempt to stall the inevitable, her voice returning all of a sudden, but she didn't have the chance to finish her thought as his mouth claimed hers and her words were swallowed forever.

_**The End of Chapter 5**_

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><p><strong>So... The first layer of Ziva David's resistance is gone... She can't say such an important word, he needs to hear from her to stop. Do you think she'll be able to say it? :D Jeez, I'm so evil – I will reign the Hell one day, people. <strong>

**Anyway, a little warning in here – Chapter 6 has the elements of M rating so consider yourself warned. Although I'm not sure why I'm saying it since the story is in M rated section from the very beginning. ;)**

**Nevertheless, I still beg you for the patience – we are still not at the end of this immense torture, and it still doesn't mean that those two completely gave in. I still want to play with them and describe every detail of the sweet surrender. ;) You know very well that despite the fact you're impatient, you love the detailed description.**

**Love you all endlessly, have a nice week and bye until next Monday! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note:**

**Hello guys! Yes, new chapter is here and we are entering the last week of November... Does it really go so fast? Christmas are just around the corner any my Christmas gift to you is very, very close then. ;)**

**I want to thank all those fantastic people who shared their opinions, who followed, favorited or just stopped by to read the story. You're awesome and I love you!**

**To one of the ****Guest**** reviewers – I'm glad you love the story and as for your comment about Tony leaving if Ziva asked him to do so, I do understand your opinion and I completely agree with that but where would be the fun with it? Great part of this story is about the change between them because he's determined more than ever and she's incapable of stopping him. Anyway, I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story. ;)**

**To ****Debbie**** – Thank you so much! I'm glad you continue to enjoy it and I promise you – the giving in to her feelings will come soon. ;)**

**To ****Azucar**** – You never cease to amaze me with your reviews, thank you so much for that one. To answer all your questions would be a huge spoiler but I can promise that they will be answered in the following chapters. ;)**

**To ****Celine Krause**** – Thank you, sweetie! I hope the workshop was interesting, anyway. It's awesome to attend something like this and I would love to participate, trust me. :) Thank you for all those appreciative words, you made my heart melt... Hopefully, go on in enjoying my stories. :)**

**And I have to express my opinion on one of the guest reviews I rather deleted from ****Fem**** whose words were "This sounds like rape. Not okay." I don't know whether you will even read this but for assurance and for everyone who might have similar opinion, I rather say what I think it's needed. So, you were either trolling on my Chapter 3, or you seriously meant those words. To which I can say only one thing. It makes me sad that you perceived it this way because it wasn't intended. I know that from some point of view, it might seem like that but then, you would have to take the Chapter 3 out of the context of the whole story. You probably have no deep knowledge of the relationship of Tony and Ziva, their history and their personalities. Because if you knew something, then you would know, for example, that Ziva was held captive in Somalia in a terrorist camp where she was more than probably multiple times raped and Tony knows it. Do you really think that I would write a scene that would resemble rape with such history of these two characters? I'm trying to stay true to the characters when it comes to writing fanfiction, so you can trust me that I would never write such thing. Besides, Tony would never do something so deplorable and Ziva would do SOMETHING to defend herself if she felt she was threatened. I pointed out several times in the chapter that she has positive feelings about this so there's no way she would consider it as an attempt to rape her. As for my personal opinion – because I've been sexually harassed in my life, I would NEVER write about something so disgusting as rape. I denounce rape, sexual harassment, child pornography and everything you can think of that can be considered as a sexual-related crime. So, if you consider it as rape, then I apologize because that was the last thing I wanted people to think.**

**Anyway, rather back to the story because I write it for all you, guys, and you seem to enjoy it. Hopefully, you're getting the context right and don't consider the things I write about as something bad. I swear that my intentions are pure and what I write is for fun, describing the usual cat and mouse game between our favorite characters, nothing more. :)**

**So, what do I have for you in store today? As I promised – M rated elements, people – we're getting there! ;) Go on and read it!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 6<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_It was like she had some kind of barrier in her throat. The words got stuck inside and she couldn't get them out. She felt sick as it disgusted her that she would tell him to stop, tell him to leave, and she felt even more sickened when she considered what it would do to her if he just went away and let her to stand there while she would be shaking uncontrollably in attempt to get her arousal under control._

_He watched her struggle as she apparently tried to tell him what he'd demanded from her but couldn't bring herself to do it. He refrained from singing in joy or something, but he felt unbelievingly happy that she couldn't say it because it meant she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He had to smile at her desperate face because she looked like a small lost puppy as she was getting to the realization that she truly couldn't win this._

_He didn't want to be so merciless, so he gave her few seconds in addition before he let the triumphant feeling seize him. "I think I have my answer, then." He whispered, his hot breath fanning her face as he started to lean in for a kiss._

"_But..." She tried to object as a last attempt to stall the inevitable, her voice returning all of a sudden, but she didn't have the chance to finish her thought as his mouth claimed hers and her words were swallowed forever._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

She repaid the kisses immediately. It felt so natural for her to respond in a way he wanted her to because it seemed that his lips were invented for one purpose, to kiss her to death. Her hands still gripped the towel between her hands, stubbornly fighting the urge to touch him, to caress his heated skin, to strip his clothes off and eat him up like she'd dreamt to for years.

He again used the tip of his tongue to drive her completely insane as he teased her lips, tickling her and then biting her painfully with his teeth to show her the passion he had kept for so long deep inside him. He needed to prove to her what she had made him feel for all those years, and especially these last few months when he'd thought he might explode with the love and desire that streamed his veins.

It had been killing him, and to finally let it out was amazingly liberating. He didn't wait too long to use his hands, caressing her body up from her waist to her face and down her thigh, earning always a satisfied whimper from her, which only made him add more vigour than before. He was now certain about the mutual need so he didn't try to curb himself but, on the contrary, freed all the pent-up longing.

He could feel she was still rather reluctant, fighting the never-ending battle between her heart, libido and brain, so even though her kisses and her moans testified about the want she felt towards him, she was afraid to let it go completely. He tried to grab her hands to uncross them from her chest so she would stop gripping the towel, but she obstinately resisted, digging her nails into the fluffy fabric.

At least his hand found its way, thanks to it, on to the top of her breast, caressing it gently and showing her that she didn't have anything to worry about. She moaned deeply when she, again, felt the tips of fingers on her skin, and she hesitantly raised her right hand to his face, wanting to palm his cheek. But then she pulled her hand away, still being scared of losing her self-control, and herself in the process.

But the desire won out eventually, and her right hand gingerly touched his face, inspecting the subtle growth on his cheek since he hadn't had enough time to properly shave himself. It felt wonderfully rough and exciting to feel the stubble as it scratched lightly her skin, and she wished for more. Her left hand also released the towel and palmed his face, caressing it endlessly while returning the kisses he was giving her.

She could feel the smile that appeared on his face through the kiss, but she didn't care. She was losing the strength to fight against something her body apparently wanted as she was flooded with unimaginable heat every time his hand touched her skin. His lips moved against hers and his mouth let out a groan as she tried to repay his caresses as much she could, starting with intertwining their tongues to challenge him for the battle of dominance.

She even moaned in protest when his fingers stopped with caressing the top of her breast and caught her by her neck to change the angle. She rather wanted them all over her body. She wanted them to snatch the towel off and examine her heaving chest, her hardened nipples, her burning belly, her moist entrance that screamed with the need for him. Simply, she lost it and he had done his best to make her to lose it.

Her common sense was now good for nothing. She didn't listen to it as every fibre of her being ached for him and she pointed out her lust with the movement of her hands. They couldn't get enough of touching him, travelling an electrifying way from his face, on the nape of his neck and down his back and sides until they reached the rim of the T-shirt, cheekily sticking under it and examining his scorching skin.

He had to release her lips for a mere second to give them both the chance to take a breath, since she had robbed him of the last oxygen supply when she had so unabashedly groped him, probably finally giving in. She used this moment to be more brazen-faced and managed to slip her hands inside his jeans, earning a satisfied chuckle from him as she grasped his butt.

Then his lips claimed hers again with a renewed fervour and because she was so blatantly shameless, he dared to take this further as well. His right hand, which was gripping her thigh, propped up her left leg and lifted it up. She could just moan, not at all protesting against it even though she was afraid she might drop on her knees since her legs were wobbly like jelly.

He hooked the leg around his hip, which she helped him do without a second thought. She shifted her hands back on his back and clung to his body like if her life depended on it. He didn't hesitate to support her as he crashed her body forcefully against the door, pinning her there and making her gasp when she felt the proof of his desire in his jeans, now unmistakably noticeable.

Her brain clouded in the moment he grinded his hips into hers, giving her the feel of what she was doing to him. The only thought that flashed through her mind was that she wanted to feel it skin on skin. She wanted to feel him inside her, moving within her, taking each other to levels of pleasure they had no idea that were possible. She wanted to scream his name in delight, let him make her his and she wanted to mark him as hers.

She flushed and turned red at her own thoughts and dirty fantasies, despite the situation they were currently in, headed towards their fulfilment and she knew it very well. Since she wasn't able to make him go away and he obviously didn't want to leave by himself, the only thing that remained for her without going completely crazy was to accept the fate.

He suddenly broke the kiss since the break to inhale some oxygen had been rather short, and they both were running out of breath, and he certainly didn't want to smother her with the burning passion he was letting out. However, he didn't refrain from giving her a sign that this certainly wasn't an end when he rocked with his hips against hers, smiling when she responded in the same fashion.

Ziva gasped and dug her nails into his skin when he repeated the movements, making her totally, unwittingly repay the favour. Not that she minded it, though. "Tony, please..." She moaned, not recognizing her own voice at the moment. She didn't know whether it was just a desperate plea by which she tried to stop him, or whether she just begged him to take her right here and now against the door. The only thing she was sure about was the urgency she put into it.

His eyes twinkled when he heard the insistence in her request, or whatever it was. Not that he needed some evidence, the reactions of her body were evident and moreover, the gaze she was giving him was burning with such lust that he had to try very hard not to take her in his arms and throw her on the bed immediately and show her exactly what he had in mind right now. But it still wasn't the right time, he still wanted to play with her for a little while.

"Sounds more like an encouragement to me." He pointed out in a whisper before he bent down again and started to suck on her lips tirelessly.

She sighed in pleasure into his mouth, throwing her composure away and unashamedly responding to his lips, kneading his muscles with her hands. He was right after all, she didn't know what the purpose of her request had been and it'd really sounded more like an encouragement to finally get this as far as possible. He'd somehow managed to crumble the walls she'd tried so hard to build around herself. Her resilience weakened with every second she had the chance to drink his lips.

She couldn't stop thinking about how disgusting sight of them had to be with all the kissing, since their lips were swollen, their teeth were constantly in action biting softly and their tongues rubbed against each other, deliciously tasting reciprocally the depths of their mouths. And she didn't even have to mention the gentle rock of their hips as they teased one another in the most amazing, erotic way.

But it only boosted her arousal like nothing else. She didn't mind it whatsoever. She wanted only more and more. Her hands shifted from beneath his T-shirt on his face and his neck, changing the angle of the kiss, making him groan in delight. She didn't care about the towel right now. As far as she was concerned, it could fall down on the floor and she wouldn't be mad. It would only get them where they obviously wanted to be.

Tony didn't want to embarrass himself so the hand that supported her leg on his hip left its place and started the way beneath the towel, wanting to find out how much she actually wanted him, since he was giving her crystal clear signs about his want for her. It wasn't hard work, the length of the towel was rather advantageous, so to stick his hand beneath was easy. He was surprised with the heat that he was welcomed with, but it only raised his curiosity.

He carefully and furtively parted her folds, counting on her distraction since she repaid his kisses frantically and didn't perceive anything around herself. She was firmly glued to his mouth and didn't seem to be willing to give up on it easily. He smiled when he felt the moisture, actually very surprised that she was probably even more responsive that he'd expected as he buried his finger inside her burning heat.

Her eyes flew open swiftly and she shrieked out into his mouth, breaking the kiss immediately. She didn't expect he might be so bold to do such thing even though she had to admit that she didn't want anything else. She breathed heavily, clenching the leg she had hooked around his hip in desperation, trying to find in his gaze what he was thinking because he'd just crossed the thin line that separated them from totally giving in.

Kisses and light touches were one thing but this was getting pretty serious. It snapped her out of the erotic haze she had been in for the last few minutes. She realized that the only possible progress from this situation was ending up in a bed. It was inevitable. The only way she could avoid it was to tell him to stop, but she still couldn't find her voice to say the stupid word he needed to hear to make him leave.

He slowly and agonizingly licked his lips, making her to watch him as he did so while he examined the warm wetness in between her legs. She responded by gulping the lump in her throat, her body trembling as she bit her lip. She didn't dare to look down to see his hand and what it was doing, it would probably send her over the edge and she couldn't afford to shatter into pieces at the moment.

He was astonished with her reaction because, to be honest, he expected he would be lying on the floor already for what he had dared to do. But apparently she liked it, judging by her heartbeat and misted-up gaze she was giving him. For a minute there, he thought about pleasing her with his fingers and making her to lose control against this door but he wasn't sure whether he would be able to take it and moreover, his aim was slightly different.

Sure, he was still playing with her, seducing her mischievously because he needed to get her in the state when she couldn't say no to him. Then, he could switch the mood and do what he hungered for – to make love to her and show her how much he loved her. It was better when she thought that the only thing he wanted was to have casual sex with her because if he told her right away what exactly he wanted, she would be terrified because, frankly speaking, he was frightened, too.

He loved her. He loved her so much that he was sometimes scared of the intensity of his feelings because he had never felt something so strong when it came to a woman. Even though he'd almost gotten married to Wendy and he had had some serious relationships in his life, Ziva was just different. He didn't know what was so distinct about her from other women and why he felt like that, but such a strong love he felt towards Ziva didn't need any explanations.

He just believed that she might recognize his love for her through his actions, because he knew that she probably wouldn't believe his words right now. He had gone too far with it, so it was better to continue in the game for a little while before revealing what he really felt. And he had to be careful, because it didn't seem that she was ready to hear it, let alone to reciprocate his feelings.

He pulled the finger out of her pussy, making her to whimper as she stared at him with a mixture of consternation and excitement, wondering what he would do now. His hands firmly caught her by her waist while she was totally unable to react in any way, so she left her hands where they were – one loosely resting on the nape of his neck and the second one leaning against his chest.

He then gave her body a push forward, finally ungluing her from the door as he did a step back so he could give her the space to land in his embrace, being very careful not to drop her. She gave out a gasp when her belly collided into the perceptible bulge in his jeans and her knee buckled since she didn't have any support in the form of the door anymore and her left leg was still hooked around his hip.

She, naturally, wanted to balance her posture and wanted to put her leg back on the floor, but he immediately reacted and grasped her by her thigh, enfolding her in his embrace even more as his second hand supported her on the small of her back. He obviously still wanted to give her the feel of what she was doing to him and what his intentions exactly were.

She needed something to hold on to, so she slipped her hands down on his arms, digging her nails into his skin. She yelped in surprise because he suddenly and very determinedly turned them aside, apparently wanting to lead her to the bed, because it was in that direction. And since the expression in his face had never looked so decisive, she didn't have to guess that he really had it in mind to get them in the bed in a split second.

"No." She whispered the moment she saw his head lean in for a kiss as the last remnants of her common sense forced their way back on the surface to prevent her doing anything stupid, even though it was evidently late for it.

She couldn't see the playful smile that grazed his lips, because she closed her eyes even before his mouth claimed hers and started to drink on her swollen lips. Her mind went totally blank. She couldn't do anything else than respond, moving with her lips with the same ferocity, giving her best into the harmonious sync they had practiced and that left them completely breathless.

Tony enjoyed her constant submission every time she tried to make some attempt to stall the inevitable, because it was unimaginably adorable in his eyes. The fact she tried to pretend she didn't want him, and in the next second she was clinging to him like if he was the last man on Earth... It made him feel very special, and he was satisfied with himself that he was able to make such havoc in the usually rational head of hers.

He released her soon enough so she would have a chance to take a proper breath and was curious as to whether she might try to stop him again. But since her body was rather limp in his arms and she looked so bedazzled, he decided to go further and made a step forward closer to the bed, while she didn't have any other choice than do the step backwards – like few minutes ago when he had started with these advances towards her.

Her eyes widened, unwittingly taking the step with him as her common sense, which wasn't giving up so easily, again began ordering to her body to stop this, or at least make him to talk. "Tony... You... I..." She stuttered and it was everything she was able to say since her body didn't agree with her common sense and openly reacted to the way his hands caressed the skin on her thigh and massaged the muscles on her back through the fluffy fabric.

He pouted at her and clicked with his tongue disapprovingly, immediately cracking a triumphant smile with an amused chuckle. "Tell me to stop and I will. The only thing you have to do is to say it." He whispered across her lips before crashing his own on them, not giving her any chance to tell him anything because he already knew very well that she was incapable of doing so.

She again totally got herself into it. She let herself be consumed by those sensations he was arousing in her, melting in his embrace and forgetting about everything around her. Nothing was as important as the movement of their lips and the meaning behind it as he gently caressed her thigh and she stroked his arms in desperate attempt to find something solid to grasp to prevent herself from falling down.

He took his time before he shoved his tongue into her mouth, relentlessly exploring the depths of it and tasting as much he could, hoping that he would be allowed to taste it once again in the near future. Actually, he had the same impression from her side because the way she repaid his kisses shown completely clearly, how much she desired him and wanted to experience it all over again.

He, again, forced her to take another step backwards, as they both moaned at the gentle rub of their abdomens, and Ziva knew that she was absolutely lost. Although there was something left from her common sense that appeared from time to time, he always managed to silence it and repress it with the marvellous mouth of his, and she didn't have any other choice than to succumb to it.

He suddenly broke the kiss with a gentle nip on her bottom lip and had to smile at her woozy face that revealed how compliant she was becoming. Really, what an amazingly responsive woman she was, he sometimes couldn't comprehend. On the one hand, she was able to bottle up all of her emotions very well, but on the other, when the walls crumbled, he could read in her like in a book since everything she was feeling reflected in her face perfectly.

"Come on, say it. It's not that hard, Ziva. Just a stupid four-letter word." He prodded her with amusement, challenging her and helping her to make her to say the word 'stop' that she apparently wasn't able to get out of her mouth. It was only another game for him to show her that she wanted him and that was why she couldn't do anything explicit to stop him.

_**The End of Chapter 6**_

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><p><strong>Well, well, well – a little bit of action here... ;) Hope you liked it guys, some more steaminess was necessary. We're one step closer to the sweet surrender again, I can promise it's not that far away.<strong>

**Oh, and ****Eve**** – the next chapter is the one I asked you to help me few weeks ago so you can prepare yourself. :D You told me you would start laughing the moment you read it so I guess you should find some quiet place where you'll be alone so nobody would think you're crazy. ;)**

**As for you, others – I promise you that we will make a huge step in the next chapter to the desired end. ;) Well, end... More like the result you all want because it certainly won't be the end.**

**Anyway, thank you all once more, you're awesome, I love you and I'm eternally grateful to you for reading my stories and sharing your opinions. Next chapter will be up on Monday, as always, so until then – have a nice week! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note:**

**Hi, there my favourite people! :) So, we are in the first day of December, I spent all day buying Christmas presents – exhausting as Hell – but I have everything I need and I can focus on the last 18 days of my semester with all the tests I have to write and one exam in front of me. It's going to be very hard but I'll make it, I have no other choice. To those who are experiencing the same thing as me – good luck! To the others, I hope you're having a good time! :)**

**Thank you ****Bethany****! I'm glad you like it and trust me, the fun is really worth it. ;)**

**Debbie****, thank you so much for the review and your apt word, it really flatters me to have you as a reader. :)**

**Dear ****Celine Krause****, the countdown is over – the Monday is here! Hopefully, enjoy this chapter and thank you so much for your review!**

**Thanks also belong to you ****Hockeymom****! Glad you like the previous chapter, hope you also like this one. :)**

**And as for you ****Fem**** – I'm glad you actually read my previous A/N and expressed as well as clarified your opinion. I truly and honestly value every point of view I can get and I always take the best from it. That's why people differ in their opinions because if we all were the same, with the same beliefs, it would be boring so it's more of a challenge for me. Still, it saddens me and upsets me that you probably don't perceive the concept of the story as I and rest of my readers do (at least I hope so, since nobody has told me something similar like you), because Tony and Ziva are entering in this story into a consensual sexual relationship. That's the reason why the seduction takes so much time, after all. He's giving her the chances to back away, he's trying to show her that if she tells him to stop, then he really will so he's not pushing her to do something she actually doesn't want. And Ziva is incapable of doing so because she really wants him. Her 'no' isn't caused by her defiance against him as a person, but because she knows it might destroy their friendship and partnership. He knows that too, he knows why she is reluctant because he held himself back for such a long time for the same reasons. They know why they couldn't do it before and this story is just describing how tired he is with the 'cat and mouse' game. Just because he is making advances towards her when she clearly isn't able to resist to the temptation, doesn't make it to be an attempt to rape her. If he really wanted to do so (and Tony would never do such thing), I think he would just grab her and throw her on the bed, he wouldn't try to convince her about his feelings, his intentions and he wouldn't give her any chance to back away. And if Ziva felt she was about to get raped, she would injure him, throw him out or she would do something to prevent it. I have the impression that you are taking it all in general way, like if I write about just some random guy who bumped into a hot-looking girl who seems to him to be easy or something. But I write about certain characters with certain personalities, certain history and certain relationship between them. You judge the story on the basis of one chapter that might seem a bit off but you have to incorporate it in the whole story. He is careful with her, he tries to show her that if she just doesn't want him then she can tell him and he will leave, he will reveal his true intentions and in the following chapters, she will give him the consent because she trusts him. What will happen between them is going to be consensual and if she will have any misgivings that it won't be because she would think he tried to rape her. What I'm trying to say is that even though you readers see into their heads and know what they think because I'm giving you the insight, you forget to notice that they know each other for years so they know the looks and the behaviour of one another, they know how they behave in certain moments etc. I don't want to say that they are able to reach each others' minds but the body language is always very important to observe (not to mention that their job is using the body language to convict people of lying and so on) and if he's able to recognize safely that whatever her mouth says, her body doesn't mean it, then he's right because he knows every detail of her behaviour in the same way she knows his. Nevertheless, I do respect your opinion because like I remarked above – people differ in their points of view and it's your right to freely express it if you want. I guess it all upsets me just because my future job concerns fighting against crime and I felt offended that you probably judge me without knowing me and my desire to protect people. However, I feel flattered that you thank me for my writing and that you are interested in my story because it means I have hope that I can change your opinion on the story itself and that you will see it in the same way like me. I'm truly sorry that you feel it different way because it wasn't intended but I like I said – you have every right to feel different. Thank you for clarifying your opinion and hopefully, enjoy the rest of the story if it's possible. :)**

**But let's get back to the story. I know you're all impatient and so, and I promise you that the final surrender is just around the corner but before that, we have to deal with few things which are the topics of this chapter. The main one is that Tony will reveal his true intentions...**

**So, hopefully, enjoy the ride, people! :) We've reached 100 followers for which I'm thankful to all of you! And Eve, I hope you're somewhere in a quiet corner and alone... :D **

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 7<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_He, again, forced her to take another step backwards, as they both moaned at the gentle rub of their abdomens, and Ziva knew that she was absolutely lost. Although there was something left from her common sense that appeared from time to time, he always managed to silence it and repress it with the marvellous mouth of his, and she didn't have any other choice than to succumb to it._

_He suddenly broke the kiss with a gentle nip on her bottom lip and had to smile at her woozy face that revealed how compliant she was becoming. Really, what an amazingly responsive woman she was, he sometimes couldn't comprehend. On the one hand, she was able to bottle up all of her emotions very well, but on the other, when the walls crumbled, he could read in her like in a book since everything she was feeling reflected in her face perfectly._

"_Come on, say it. It's not that hard, Ziva. Just a stupid four-letter word." He prodded her with amusement, challenging her and helping her to make her to say the word 'stop' that she apparently wasn't able to get out of her mouth. It was only another game for him to show her that she wanted him and that was why she couldn't do anything explicit to stop him._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

She stared at him, unable to say a word and just breathing heavily, trying to absorb what this man made her feel. She knew damn well that it was four-letter word, but for whatever reason, she couldn't transform the orders of her brain into that word. The only thing that had some meaning for her was to welcome his lips on hers as he quickly kissed her, just to taste her once more before he continued in teasing her.

"'S' – like the fantastically smooth skin of yours." He whispered, deciding to toy with her through seductive wordplay by indicating the letters with her body parts he admired or he could touch. With the first letter, he opted on the skin on her spine, purposively sending shivers down it as his fingers travelled up and down, hinting the letter with writing it on her back.

She didn't know why but she found it arousing as Hell, especially when his hand left the area of her spine and shifted down, cheekily sticking behind the towel and touching her warm stomach where the butterflies tossed from side to side, ruining her will to stand and making her whimper. She now regretted that the word 'stop' didn't have a letter B in it because in that case, he would be touching her breasts right now, and if she wanted to be honest, her breasts craved for that touch and not only with his fingers.

He smiled happily at her reaction, putting the hand back on her waist to support her because it seemed she might fall down soon, and he certainly didn't want that since he still wasn't entirely done with her. "'T' – like your slender thigh." He continued in his wordplay, gripping her thigh with his hand and pushing her crotch into the bulge in his jeans even more, loving the way she gasped every time she felt it.

In addition, he bent down and licked her skin thoroughly with his tongue to emphasize his insinuation of the letter T, starting in the swell of her breasts, continuing across her collar bone and up her swan-like neck, scooping the few drops that fell down from her hair in the meantime. Her skin tasted as the finest chocolate, not to mention that he could still smell the shower gel and body lotion she had applied just few minutes ago, and he was sure that nothing smelled so good.

She moaned his name which brought a smug smile into his face, especially when he considered that she had obediently bent her head backwards to give him the space for tasting her throat. The tremble of her body was rather noticeable because she was openly enjoying the way his rough tongue grazed her sensitive skin, She added to the proof of her pleasure by digging her nails into his arms in desperation.

Ziva couldn't think clearly, but she was pretty aware that she had lost all control over herself and used his name to moan. He, again, forced her to do another step closer to the bed. But how far they were, she didn't know because her eyes were closed. She stumbled a bit, but he managed to help her to keep her standing, knowing he had to quicken the pace of the seduction because she was really on the brink of complete surrender.

"'O' – like those beautiful brown orbs which grace your perfect face." He carried on with his plan, watching as she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, struggling to breathe and so fanning his face with her hot breath. He embraced her more tightly with his left hand and brought like that their bodies even closer, if it was possible at all.

She had the impression she would soon burst into flames under his gaze, but she couldn't bring herself to avert her eyes from it. He had succeeded in hypnotizing her, making her weaker by each passing second she was in his arms. It was harder and harder to deny her desire for him anymore, especially when he could assure himself by touching her or just looking at her.

Her eyes slipped down on his lips and he could see it, but didn't give her what she wanted right away. There was still last letter to insinuate and he always finished what he had started, especially when it came to her. So he ignored her yearning gaze and impatient sigh that begged him to kiss her and never stop, because he still had something in plan and he wanted to stick with it.

"And the last letter – 'P'." He said, taking another step and finally getting straight in front of the bed, grinding his pelvis into hers, making her to moan loudly. The only thing that remained was to push her and she would easily land on the bed, completely compliant and willing to do everything he fancied.

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers gently, tempting her and teasing her, loving the fitful breaths of hers, accompanied by adorable whimpers, and he couldn't fight the contended smile that crept into his face. "I don't think that this one needs some further definition." He whispered, pulling away slightly and explaining why he didn't try to make some hint with the letter "P" and just repeated the movement of his pelvis. There were too many words he could use, but rather left it to her imagination.

Ziva had had enough of the teasing. She wanted him, and she wanted him right now. She could understand that he wanted to be sure whether she desired the same thing he did but she had given him crystal clear answers in her moans and her touches, so she couldn't comprehend why he still stalled it by some stupid, teasing games. Fine, she couldn't stop him, not that she actually wanted to, but he already knew it and didn't have to thrive on it.

She groaned in frustration and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him forcibly down for a kiss, finally taking the initiative all by herself. She started to drink on his swollen lips, using her tongue to part them and seeking for his tongue to challenge him for the amorous battle of dominance as he obediently took her up on her offer and participated very gladly on the kiss.

She palmed his face, just to be sure he wouldn't try to escape, because she now intended to kiss him to death for what he was doing to her. She needed her revenge at least a bit for what he was making her feel, not to mention how he had managed to break her, totally disarming her with his actions, making those walls around her to crumble so that she'd then let him to do everything that crossed his mind.

Somewhere in the back of her head, her common sense was slowly recuperating and waiting for the right moment to intervene so it could stop her from doing such a big mistake. But for now, she decided to ignore it and focus completely on his magnificent mouth which she was currently tasting. Her hands found their way back on his waist and under his T-shirt, raking her nails across his skin.

He moaned, feeling and enjoying her lust for him. But he knew he couldn't just continue it like that. He wanted her to admit that she couldn't say the word 'stop' because she wanted him, despite her attempts to make him go away. He didn't want to hear it for his self-confidence or because of his pride, he didn't want to boost his ego. He wanted her to say it aloud so she could finally admit to herself her need for him and yield to it fully and unconditionally, because he didn't want her to regret it later and accuse him of taking advantage of her state of undress.

So he broke the kiss, in spite of her moans in protest and her attempts to stay glued to his lips, which only proved him even more that she was slowly but certainly giving in. "Why can't you say it when you want to stop me so much, huh?" He asked her, gripping her thigh and her waist, wanting her to surrender at discretion so she would stop fighting with herself, because her body and libido had been winning the battle against her common sense for quite some time.

She opened her eyes and batted her eyelashes on him, trying to make her brain work so she could answer his question. If it wasn't for her state of arousal and the fact she didn't want anything else than to fall down on the bed and take him with her, she would be pissed with the way he tried to make her to admit her defeat. But like that, she could only stare into his face full of unsustainable longing.

She sighed resignedly and decided to admit it. There was no point in denying her weakness, it wasn't going to stop him, so the best way to respond was to go with the flow. "I can't." She said, her voice trembling with the desperation and hopelessness she felt, palming his cheek and caressing it with her thumb to assure him of her words and sincerity.

"As much as I want to, I just..." She continued, being interrupted for a while by his light kiss as his face lit up by a contended smile, and he couldn't resist rewarding her with a peck on her lips. Those words were warming his heart so much, she couldn't even imagine that – literally music to his ears.

Another sigh in resignation followed as she slipped her hand down his chest, smoothing out the fabric of the T-shirt with her fingers. "I can't bring myself to say it." She conceded, ready to capitulate and accept her fate without thinking about the consequences. After their make out session, she just didn't have the strength to fight the inevitable, because he was right – it was bound to happen one day, and apparently that day was today.

She expected that he would just take her and fling her on the bed, tear off the towel and do what they both craved for. But he just stood there, still keeping her thigh in place hooked around his hip, and stared at her with an expression of dreamy adoration. She really didn't have any idea what it meant for him that she'd just admitted she couldn't resist him, because in his eyes it meant the only one thing – she had some feelings for him.

"See? Told you, want me." He uttered, but it didn't sound somewhat complacently. On the contrary, it was stating the obvious in the most affectionate way she had ever heard. For the emphasis, he ran his free hand across her arm, sending goose bumps across her skin and making havoc in her head even more.

Her common sense chose this moment to get through the sensual haze she was in, making one last attempt to prevent her from giving in completely. "Just because my body wants it, it doesn't mean that it is right, Tony." She said, biting her tongue immediately because she didn't want to say it but she couldn't deny that it was actually true.

Their bodies hungered for each other, and they were aware of that, but it had been happening for years and still they had been able to bottle it up – most of the time. Sure, there had been times and moments, for example this one, when they didn't want anything else than to finally cross the line, tear off their clothes and show one another how much they hungered for it. But they valued their friendship and partnership enough to realize how much it would change things between them.

So, they had pretended it hadn't been that strong, and if she didn't count those few kisses they had shared in certain moments of their relationship, the farthest they had gone was actually right now. And even though she wanted it like nothing else, she had to agree with her common sense in some points. Her libido had betrayed her too many times in her life, and if she wanted to be honest at least with herself, her relationship with Tony was the healthiest thing she had ever had and to destroy it by sleeping with him would kill her.

Tony understood the hidden message. He was good at reading between the lines. It was time to reveal his true intentions – the fun was over, he had to stop hiding his feelings. He knew how much he was risking with it, but if there was even the slightest chance that she had similar feelings towards him, then he was able to take the chances and show her how deep his love for her actually was.

The smile disappeared from his face at her words, which created a frown on hers. He stopped holding her thigh and let her to put it back on the floor, putting his hands around her waist to help her keep standing because she needed to find her balance first. She wasn't sure what that sudden shift in his mood meant, but the way he was looking at her with the dead seriousness that emitted from him didn't make her feel any better.

He sensed her unease but didn't let himself to be disconcerted by it since he didn't have any intention to do something bad. When he was sure she was steady enough, he raised his right hand and raked her hair softly, enjoying the smoothness of it although it was still wet. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, purring inwardly in delight as he cupped her cheek and her eyes fluttered open, flushing in heat in the moment she looked into his face.

She couldn't remember when he had been looking at her so warmly although she was familiar with this expression and it kept her completely frozen on the place, waiting for him to say what he wanted. It was partially fear and partially curiousness what made her so nervous but she wouldn't miss it for a world. The way he stared at her was just overwhelming and the suspense was killing her but she didn't dare to step away from him and put an end to this since she would probably collapse if she did.

"You know I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you, don't you?" He asked her in all seriousness. He wanted to show her that what he had done so far was done on purpose, with specific intent, and that he wasn't messing with her. That he had a damn good reason why he was trying to seduce her, that it wasn't just a stupid game for him.

She furrowed her eyebrows in surprise. _Why was he asking her such a question?_ It was completely self-evident to her, she hadn't ever considered that Tony might do anything to hurt her, to cause her some pain. And even if he did, then it wouldn't be intentional. On the contrary, this man in front of her would do anything he could to avert any harm that could happen to her.

"Sure." She answered without a second thought, rubbing his arms to assure him about her reply because she really didn't think he might do anything to deliberately hurt her. Still, she didn't understand what it had to do anything with what was happening between them right now.

He smiled and ran his fingers across her face lovingly, feeling slightly nervous because he knew how much he could now scare her. But he had to finish what he had started. "Then trust me, Ziva. I know what I'm doing." He pleaded her for having confidence in him because he wasn't going to take advantage of her or anything. He was pretty aware of what was happening, why it was happening and what he expected from it.

She was staring at him unbelievingly because, if she wanted to be honest, she didn't have any idea what they were doing, let alone what she was doing. She was completely confused with herself, perplexed by her own inability to throw him out, letting him to kiss her, to touch her in a way she wouldn't allow to him under normal circumstances, fondle her and make her horny with his caresses. She just couldn't exactly tell why she was so compliant all of a sudden.

But those thoughts quickly disappeared in the moment he bent down and caught her lips between his in a sweet kiss that made her knees to buckle and she felt suddenly very dizzy. It didn't resemble their previous kisses at all. It held something more significant, something he tried to show her through it, but she was too stunned to give it a deeper thought.

The way his lips devoured hers, tasting and slowly drinking, immensely affected her and the only thing she could do was to perceive the movements and respond to them obediently. It was tender kiss that shook them both to the core. The warmth of their bodies raised on another level, making them sweat with desire and breathe heavily, feeling completely giddy.

She clutched his T-shirt between her hands while he gently gripped her waist through the towel's fabric, moaning occasionally to express the pleasure they were experiencing thanks to the kiss. They only played with their tongues. There was no amorous battle like during those kisses before, just teasing each other playfully to add some vigour into the lip lock.

Tony so much wanted to show her through the kiss that she didn't have anything to worry about, that she should trust him because his feelings for her were serious, that it wasn't just lust and sexual frustration. He needed her to have the faith in him because it was required for what he wanted to do. Making love wasn't just casual sex, it was a lot more than that and he needed to be sure whether that she understood what he tried to tell her and trust him that they were ready to do it.

Because he firmly believed they were ready for it. Sure, they hadn't told each other about their feelings, but he suspected she didn't have to be completely honest with him since she was rather evasive person when it came to them. Like that, he could be sure that if she let him to make love to her, then her feelings were as strong as his were. No more lies, no more half-truths, no more misunderstandings and no more hiding – just plain trust between them expressed through their love-making.

That was what he wanted to achieve. He was getting rather tired with her constant pretending that nothing had been happening between them. It was as if she had just decided not to see it or something. It was the reason why he didn't even believe that some conversation would solve anything, because he didn't believe she would be sincere with him.

Meanwhile Ziva was wondering what was wrong with her, because she entirely gave up any fight against it and what surprised her the most was that her common sense suddenly agreed with everything. She found the harmony between her brain, heart and body eventually and the only thing she was able to make it up from all of this was that she wanted him more than ever before.

If he wanted her to trust him, then she was able to throw her inhibitions away and give in unconditionally and have the confidence in him he demanded. She felt loved and worshipped. so it was just natural for her that her trust in him was very strong. She couldn't believe that, but she felt that he was trying to tell her something important, something that was matter of the heart.

The tenderness of his kiss, the way he hold her body in his arms gently as if she was the most precious thing in the world, made her believe that this was about something more significant. His actions were supposed to tell her what he had in mind, because words probably weren't enough. She let herself to be captivated by it and let him swallow her with the feeling he had kept locked up deep inside his chest for years.

She was totally bewitched in the moment he released her lips, gently nipping on her bottom one and pulling away slightly. She kept her eyes firmly closed, because the kiss was so powerful that she still could feel it even though it was over already. Through the blood rushing through her head, she registered the urgent whisper by which he tried to persuade her to trust him and let him to do anything he wanted.

"Just give me your trust. Please." It was a soft whisper, barely audible, but she could sense every letter in those words since he whispered them across her lips.

_**The End of Chapter 7**_

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><p><strong>Is this cliffhanger once again? Hm, maybe... :D So, what do you think that Ziva will say to him? Do you think she will give him her trust and therefore, she will surrender and give in?<strong>

**I hope you liked the teasing wordplay, honestly, I don't even know why I wrote it. It just occurred in my head when I was at work and my mind wandered... :D It happens rather often, actually. :D But I swear I'm a good employee! **

**Anyway, I can't wait for the next Monday, literally (well, if I don't blow up my kitchen, I'm going to bake Christmas cookies on Saturday :D). Because I just love Chapter 8 so much and I'm sure you'll love it too, despite the little plot twist... :D Because the plot twist is fun! And then Chapter 9 and 10, I freaking love them too! I think I'll finally make it worth your while. ;)**

**Until then, have a nice week, guys and have a good time! Love you! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note:**

**Hello to the new week, my dear readers! So, I didn't blow up my kitchen, as you can see, and the Christmas cookies are awesome so I can't wait for the actually Christmas days to eat them!**

**I passed my first test last week so I'm in wonderful mood to post this chapter because I know I will brighten your beginning of the week, as well as mine and that will give me enough energy to continue studying on the other tests and exams I have in front of me.**

**For what I want to thank to all of you – I'm so happy you all liked the chapter and the wordplay so much! I didn't even expect it and I feel so flattered, you can't even imagine it. :)**

**To one of my ****Guest**** reviewers – thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you consider this story as 'hot' and trust me – the steaminess will rise... ;) Enjoy!**

**My dear and awesome ****Celine Krause**** – I will always respond on your review, anytime, if it's what makes you happy. :) Because you make me happy all the time with your kind words and opinions, so the least I can do is to thank you. **

**Bethany****, if you got butterflies in stomach thanks to the last chapter, I can't imagine what you will feel during these following chapters. :D Because it's going to be hotter than before. I hope your countdown alarm on the phone alerted you on time about this update because I think you'll like it. ;) Enjoy and thank you so much for the review!**

**Thanks for the review also to you, ****hockeymom****!**

**Debbie****, thank you for the review, I'm happy you like it and enjoy this chapter because I really think it's getting very good. ;)**

**So, what did I promise in the last chapter? Oh, of course – a little plot twist... ;) But before that – do you think Ziva will give him the trust or not? Will she finally give in? Well, go to read the chapter, I think you will find out very soon! :) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 8<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_If he wanted her to trust him, then she was able to throw her inhibitions away and give in unconditionally and have the confidence in him he demanded. She felt loved and worshipped. so it was just natural for her that her trust in him was very strong. She couldn't believe that, but she felt that he was trying to tell her something important, something that was matter of the heart._

_The tenderness of his kiss, the way he hold her body in his arms gently as if she was the most precious thing in the world, made her believe that this was about something more significant. His actions were supposed to tell her what he had in mind, because words probably weren't enough. She let herself to be captivated by it and let him swallow her with the feeling he had kept locked up deep inside his chest for years._

_She was totally bewitched in the moment he released her lips, gently nipping on her bottom one and pulling away slightly. She kept her eyes firmly closed, because the kiss was so powerful that she still could feel it even though it was over already. Through the blood rushing through her head, she registered the urgent whisper by which he tried to persuade her to trust him and let him to do anything he wanted._

"_Just give me your trust. Please." It was a soft whisper, barely audible, but she could sense every letter in those words since he whispered them across her lips._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

He had to grip her body more firmly because in the moment she opened her eyes, her legs stopped holding her and she almost ended up on the floor. If the kiss was supposed to convince her to trust him and prove his pure intentions, then his face was full of the emotions and feelings he had for her. No mask anymore, just the naked truth, and it showed the only thing: he was in love with her.

Head over heels, they say. It was overwhelming to see the love shining in his eyes, radiating from every inch in his face, accompanied by the way he clutched her body in his arms, supporting her endlessly. She now saw the reason why he hadn't wanted to talk, why he had considered it as trivial. Because such great love that he apparently felt for her couldn't be described in words. She would never believe the depth of his feelings. That was why he wanted to show her instead of just telling her.

So she finally gave in and nodded, looking directly into his eyes to assure him she didn't have any misgivings and that she trusted him completely. He smiled at her and dared to raise his hand to caress her face, risking that her knees might betray her. But she seemed to be steady. He just wanted to thank her for the faith she had in him, because it was obvious she was aware of what he wanted to do and decided to go with the flow.

His heart threatened to explode when he slid his hand down, hooking his finger to the towel once more, now really having the intent to unwrap it. He sensed her heartbeat that matched his as they locked their gazes, expressing their mutual desire and feelings through their eyes. It was now or never, nothing could stop them, nothing could prevent them to take this further because it was what they really wanted.

But in the moment they both expected it the least, a knock on the room's door interrupted them and they both gasped in surprise. Ziva almost collapsed as the tension in her body eased off and Tony had a hard time to keep himself standing as well. Sudden fear shot through them because they had completely forgot about the world around them, not to mention they were in a hotel room for a wedding and were supposed to meet with the others for the rehearsal dinner in an hour or so.

Another, more urgent, knock made them to look at the door, hypnotizing it and praying for the person behind it to go away because this really wasn't the best moment to interrupt, not after they had just come to a mutual agreement. Whoever it was, he or she had to get out – immediately and at all costs. There really wasn't any time or space for some chatting.

"Ziva? Are you there?" Abby's cracked, sing-song voice, muffled by the room's door, asked into the silence of the hotel's corridor.

Ziva turned her head back to look at Tony, who just lowered his eyes on her face since the door was in his vantage point and it was evident how bewildered they both were with their friend knocking on the door. She cursed herself, since she knew this might happen. She should have expected that in the moment she finally gave in, somebody would try to take it from her.

Tony couldn't believe that somebody had really disturbed them. It was as if the fate was mocking him for whatever reason. It had taken him ages to get her where he wanted her to be and then he had been robbed of it by Abby knocking on the door. He hoped they would stay standing motionlessly and say nothing, so Abby would think Ziva was gone. She then could leave and they might continue in what they had started.

However, Ziva decided to behave responsibly. Sure, she didn't want anything else than to kiss him to death and do very nasty things with him, but she had to consider the reason why they were here in the hotel. Besides, she didn't like denying her own presence like that, not to mention that she didn't like letting her friend down. It was unfair to Abby and she probably needed something important if she was searching for her.

"Yes?" She called out loudly enough for Abby to hear, hoping she wouldn't want to chat for very long. Because, despite the fact that she had decided to confirm she had been in the room, she wanted to get this over with very soon and continue with Tony in pleasing each other. She was just too horny to let it go so easily.

Tony's eyes popped out and he stared at her as if she had gone insane or something. _Why did she answer to Abby?_ They have unfinished business in here! She couldn't be serious with wanting to help her with whatever she needed. Maybe it was a bit selfish of him, but he really wasn't about to throw away his chance just because Abby had knocked on the door and wanted God-knew-what.

Ziva shot him a meaningful look that told him, clearly, that she had to do it and he knew it very well. They wouldn't have peace otherwise, because Abby would probably try to call her so they would be interrupted by the constant ringing, anyway. And he certainly was reasonable enough to know that he shouldn't think just about his own needs, but also consider needs of the others. And if Abby was in need of some help, then they should help her, no matter what.

He rolled his eyes and clicked with his tongue in annoyed admission that she was right and silently urged Abby to finally say what she wanted. Abby sighed in relief behind the door, glad that she was able to catch Ziva on time and continued. "Oh, wonderful! Can I come in?" She asked cheerfully, glancing around herself and being careful not to be seen by anybody (especially Breena), because she didn't want to reveal what she had in her hands.

Now, eyes of both widened in horror when they considered how it would look if Abby entered the room. Not that it actually wasn't the truth because they were doing what Abby would immediately think the moment she saw them. They really weren't able to mask what was going on in here since their lips were swollen and their rosy cheeks were reddened by the heat that was produced by the unbridled passion that was controlling their bodies.

"NO!" They both simultaneously and immediately exclaimed, completely horrified and momentarily forgetting that Abby couldn't enter, anyway, since she didn't have keys for the room.

Ziva registered that Tony had voiced his disapproval, as well, and tried to shush him down, hoping that Abby hadn't heard anything strange. He guiltily covered his mouth with his hand and silently apologized for his outburst but he couldn't help it. He really didn't have any intention to abandon his plan, regardless what kind of problem Abby had. Moreover, he had the feeling that if Abby had the slightest clue what was happening in here, she would promptly leave without looking back and even try to prevent any further disturbances.

Abby frowned on the corridor because she would swear she'd just heard a man's voice inside. It hadn't been just Ziva's, somebody was probably in the room with her. But the question was whether she wanted to have the person in there or not. Secretly, she hoped it was Tony since she was getting tired of the dance those two had practiced for years and was tempted, numerous times to intervene and do something to get them together.

"Why not? Is something wrong?" She asked curiously, knowing that if Ziva's life was threatened, she would give her some kind of secret message so she could go and get some help.

Ziva closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, because it seemed that Abby hadn't noticed the man's voice that could have been heard few seconds ago. She really didn't want to be questioned about what was happening here since she still wasn't sure what exactly it was. Tony relaxed visibly, too, and just hold her in his arms, completely still so he wouldn't reveal his presence.

"No, nothing is wrong, Abby. You do not have to worry about me, really. I just..." She tried to calm Abby down because she really didn't want to give her any impression that something was actually going on, and looked around herself in desperation to find some clue how to explain why she didn't want to let her inside.

"I'm just naked, you know. I was about to hit a shower when you knocked." She opted for some sort of half-truth so she wouldn't be entirely lying, and it really sounded credible enough.

Tony wasn't able to suppress the laughter inside him, it bubbled in him and he chuckled it aloud as his whole body started to shake with uncontrollable laughter. He was immediately silenced by her shushing and her hand on his mouth with a rather furious gaze from her because he was giving them away like that. He wondered how she was able to be so calm about the situation they were currently in, but it only made him love her even more.

"I will kill you!" She hissed at him, repeatedly looking at the door, hoping Abby hadn't heard anything, still shooting piercing glances at him, being more annoyed when she felt the smug smile on his face through the skin of her hand.

He stuck out his tongue and licked her palm cheekily, making her eyes widen with desire as she immediately pulled her hand away, watching him with a heavy breath and biting her lip to prevent herself from moaning. He didn't have to guess twice what was running through her mind since he had very similar thoughts right now, as well. Too bad Abby was in the way, but that didn't stop him from doing something inappropriate.

"Can't wait." He replied with a smile, arching his eyebrows playfully and signing her what kind of death he was wishing for himself.

She parted her lips, letting out a sexy whimper as he ran his hand across her body, grasping her neck and they both leaned in simultaneously as their lips met in a fervent kiss neither of them could control. She kept gripping his arms, trying to stop her hands from roaming because she still needed to perceive what was going on around her, especially behind the door where Abby stood.

While they were exploring their mouths, Abby's frown deepened and she wondered whether she might be mistaken and Ziva was actually alone in the room because her explanation as to why she didn't want to let her in sounded plausible. It was natural she didn't want to be disturbed if she had wanted to take a shower just in the moment Abby had chosen to knock on her door.

"Oh, OK, then. I won't disturb you, of course. I just wanted to ask whether you've already wrapped up the gift we have for Breena. I forgot to add something in there since I had bought it just before we came here." She assured her that what she needed was important, but it could wait after the shower she was about to take.

They had three gifts in total – one only for Breena which was supposed to be given by the girls, and Ziva had it in her baggage; one only for Jimmy which was supposed to be given by the men, and Tony was entrusted with guarding it and one for both from all, which was in the possession of Abby as Jimmy's best man. They intended to give those gifts that belonged only to Breena and Jimmy on tonight's rehearsal dinner while the gift for both tomorrow at the wedding.

Since they hadn't been sure whether they would actually be able to attend the wedding because they had had a very serious case to deal with, they'd had the gifts prepared, but hadn't had enough time to wrap them up. So they had decided to do it in the hotel after their arrival. It had been done all at the last minute and Abby had just seen a very nice thing she thought Breena might like and had bought it.

Ziva heard her somewhere in the distance, paying more attention to Tony's marvellous kiss and his skilful tongue that massaged her own, allowing her body to react to his caresses, not at all minding that one of his hands stuck beneath the towel, currently working its way up her waist. The trail he made with his fingers tingled and pleasantly burnt, so it wasn't a surprise when she moaned in delight into his mouth, giving him the crystal clear sign of how much she was enjoying it.

However, she broke the kiss despite his attempts to stay glued to her lips, regretfully rubbing his arms to apologize. But she had to answer because Abby was waiting. "I haven't wrapped it up yet, Abby." She replied breathlessly, since Tony wasn't giving up easily and when he couldn't taste her mouth, he chose the pulse point on her neck as his next target, satisfied with the way she bent her head back to give him more space.

It all made her even hornier and she knew just one thing – this conversation with Abby needed to be over and very soon, otherwise she might do something very stupid. "I will bring it to you after I take the shower so you could add anything you want, OK?" She quickly blurted out, immediately accepting Tony's kiss as he finished the examination of her neck and rather shifted back to the place he so much loved – her mouth.

Abby noticed she had sounded a bit out of breath but decided not to give it too much thought. It actually didn't matter whether somebody was inside with her or not. She highly doubted those two would be bold enough to cross the line right now. They were too stubborn to admit the feelings they felt for one another to themselves, let alone to each other. It was probably just her who hoped it might happen here in the hotel. Sometimes, she had the impression that even a crowbar wouldn't be enough to pry off of them their true feelings and thoughts.

"Wonderful! So, we'll meet in an hour down at the bar?" She assured herself that she would be able to add the present she had bought to the gift before it gets all wrapped up, offering reasonable time for Ziva to get showered or whatever she was doing.

Tony released Ziva's lips with a smack, giving her the space to respond, glad that Abby was about to get lost and they had enough time to express what they felt for each other. "Yes Abby, see you in an hour." Ziva called out, opening her eyes and gazing into his sparkling ones, finding the same emotions in his face that were raging through her.

Abby mumbled something unintelligible, not that either of them cared about what exactly it was, because they both stood still, listening carefully to her retreating footsteps. They just waited for the right moment when they would be sure, she was far off so they could safely return to their making-out without being afraid of getting caught or interrupted. It had happened to them rather often that they had been interrupted in the moment they had both expected the least, so they were careful about it.

When Ziva was sure Abby was a long way away from the room, she turned her head back at Tony, who was watching her with silly smile, completely lost in her eyes. "I think she's gone." She whispered, not knowing why she was trying to be quiet when she didn't have to worry about being overheard anymore.

She shivered as she watched his tongue slowly stick out his mouth and graze his appetizing swollen lips while his eyes looked her up and down, silently appreciating her body, glad that it would belong him to him in no time. "Finally." He whispered back, looking deeply into her eyes, searching for the mutual agreement they had reached before Abby had knocked on the door. When he found it, he smiled contently.

He gave her a little push, just a gentle one, not wanting to be rough, and watched as she stumbled. But because she understood what he had in mind, she let go of his arms and let herself to fall down. She landed on the bed with a thud, checking the towel immediately, because somewhere in the back of her head, she knew it still wasn't the time to strip it off. Besides, she suspected he wanted to do it by himself since he didn't try to do it sooner – he had patiently waited for his chance.

Her hands promptly reached out to him, desiring to bring him closer. He fulfilled her wish as he bent down and caught her lips between his, devouring her again like she was the best meal in the finest restaurant in the world. He raised his leg and put his right knee next to her hip, towering above her as he swallowed her with his kiss while she was tilting her body and head to keep up with the pace he set.

He groaned into her mouth when her palms started to rub his chest, shifting on his back and sticking beneath the T-shirt, obviously craving for his heated skin. She was cheeky enough to take the rim of the black material that was covering the upper part of his body and she tugged on it, giving him the sign she wanted to move it out of her way. He let her and even helped her as he broke the kiss and pulled the T-shirt over his head, throwing it away.

Her greedy gaze was enough for him to know that their little break caused by Abby didn't change her opinion at all, and maybe even boosted her want since what they were doing now was sort of a forbidden fruit and anybody could catch them in any minute. It had the right touch of a danger which excited them both, not to mention how sweet and amazing it felt to finally give in to the temptation after all those years.

She gave him the best hint he could wish for as she moved up on the bed, inviting him to join her, which he did with pleasure as he followed her, crawling on the bed and hovering over her body in the blink of an eye. She lifted her head, seeking his lips that found hers quickly and their mouths carried on in the harmonious sync they were already used to. They tasted and tasted, just occasionally suspending the kiss to inhale some fresh air into their lungs, but that was all that was able to make them stop for a while.

Ziva didn't know why, but she caught herself gripping the towel between her fingers again, even though she didn't want anything else than to touch his bare chest. It was an unconscious action and he registered, too, when he took her hand and put it out of his way, only to find she put it back, preventing him from tearing the towel off her body. She just didn't want to give in so easily.

He tried it few times without pinning her hands above her head because he wanted her to know that it was wish of both to cross the line. He really didn't want to have any impression he was pushing her into something she didn't want. However, he didn't succeed. She stubbornly returned the hand back every time he tried to push it away even though her kisses showed her want very clearly.

He released her lips with a tired sigh and looked at her, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did so, she shot him a questioning gaze, not really understanding why he had stopped all of a sudden. She wasn't aware of her subconscious attempts to stall him. In her mind her hands were roaming all over his back, but that clearly wasn't true since he was looking at her with a slightly disappointed face.

"You promised to trust me, Ziva." He reminded her that his sincere kiss, full of love, had convinced her about his pure intentions, slipping his eyes down on her hands to give her the signal what exactly he meant.

_**The End of Chapter 8**_

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><p><strong>What?! A cliffhanger again?! How unfair! Seriously, I can hear you screaming... :D Anyway, don't worry – I promised that the steaminess will only rise, didn't I? I can tell you that we will get rid of the towel in the next chapter... ;)<strong>

**Hope you liked the chapter and the little plot twist as well. :) I think I'm not done with it yet, because there is something I have to deal with, since it will have an impact on the future of the story. Anyway, trust me – we are just a tiny step from the chapter you want all from the very beginning. :)**

**I love you all eternally, thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, favourites or just stopping by to read. It's awesome to have such a group of amazing people around me and I can't express my thanks enough ever in my life. :)**

**Until the next week – have a wonderful time. To all those who have to study like me – good luck, and to the others – hope you'll have a nice week! Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note:**

**Gosh, I'm so glad that I'm even able to post this chapter because I have to go back studying immediately. I hate the time pressure in the last week of semester... At least the French is behind me, now onward to my exam and another test (I actually failed last week and have to write it again). :)**

**Dear ****Debbie****, I still have no words for the gift you and your daughter sent me. You literally took my breath away and I know I'll never be able to express my thanks enough. If my eternal gratefulness can repay it at least, I'll be eternally grateful to you for the rest of my life. :) Thank you! :* As for your review, thank you so much as well, I'm glad you liked it. :) And both writers from AthenaJuTiva (I know both since they read my stories – hello girls!) deserve an appreciation for their work. We have to support each other, as you said and the least I can do for them is to pay attention to their story and appreciate properly what they have written. :)**

**Which goes for you as well, ****Bethany!**** Thank you so much for your review, I'm glad your alarm alerted you on time and as I wrote you in my PM – I promise I'll read your stories as well when this crazy week full of school work will end. ;)**

**Celine Krause****, thank you so much for the appreciation, I'm happy you liked the last chapter! I hope your imagination will work well in the next chapter because you will certainly need it ;) And I'm glad it makes you feel special when I answer on your review, that's awesome and I'm always delighted to do so. You can count on me, I will give this story a happy ending but it won't be that easy. I have to live up to my reputation and show some cruelty... :D**

**Dear ****Guest****, you don't have to be sorry but I can assure you that no review is always the same. :) As every chapter, every review is unique and even though you would repeat the same words all over again, you couldn't make me happier. ;) The feedback is something that writer needs to continue in the story. I'm glad you're excited for the next chapter and I hope you'll like it.**

**And thank you too, ****Hoyckemom****, for your review! :) Yes, at least they finally made it to the bed and I can promise you that they will stay there for a while ;)**

**Anyway, to make you happy with another chapter (even though you will curse my name again, I'm sort of sure of it), I'm willing to post on time like always. :) This chapter might seem to be completely pointless but trust me, I write every detail in the story for certain reason. So, what will happen in this chapter will have consequences for the future. :) It's actually very important.**

**So, sit back, hopefully enjoy and let me know what you think! :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 9<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_Ziva didn't know why, but she caught herself gripping the towel between her fingers again, even though she didn't want anything else than to touch his bare chest. It was an unconscious action and he registered, too, when he took her hand and put it out of his way, only to find she put it back, preventing him from tearing the towel off her body. She just didn't want to give in so easily._

_He tried it few times without pinning her hands above her head because he wanted her to know that it was wish of both to cross the line. He really didn't want to have any impression he was pushing her into something she didn't want. However, he didn't succeed. She stubbornly returned the hand back every time he tried to push it away even though her kisses showed her want very clearly._

_He released her lips with a tired sigh and looked at her, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did so, she shot him a questioning gaze, not really understanding why he had stopped all of a sudden. She wasn't aware of her subconscious attempts to stall him. In her mind her hands were roaming all over his back, but that clearly wasn't true since he was looking at her with a slightly disappointed face._

"_You promised to trust me, Ziva." He reminded her that his sincere kiss, full of love, had convinced her about his pure intentions, slipping his eyes down on her hands to give her the signal what exactly he meant._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

She sighed, too, finally realizing what she had been unintentionally doing, her expression turning into guilt. Her intent definitively hadn't been to try to stop him. She didn't have any idea why she had been stubbornly crossing the hands in front of her chest, gripping the towel when the only thing she wanted was to be naked in front of him, and she wanted him to be naked as well.

She didn't change her mind, she trusted him completely and she wanted to show him that. Her left hand released the towel and reached for his face, caressing his cheek with the back of her fingers lovingly while looking directly into his eyes, trying to convince him about her sincerity that the mutual agreement really was reciprocal, that she didn't have any second thoughts.

"I know." She whispered apologetically, apologizing for her hesitancy as she watched him to smile warmly, which made her heart to leap in her chest.

She smiled in return, admiring his boyish features as her fingers started to play with his ear, occasionally raking his hair. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. Because she was nervous as Hell. It wasn't about any diffidence. She wasn't self-conscious about her body or anything, but she was about to give in to a man she was falling in love with, with a man who wasn't just her friend and partner, but also one of the most important figures in her life.

No more secrets between them, no more boundaries to cross, no more walls to get through – they were about to be naked in front of each other and not just literally. The notional nakedness was there, too, because they weren't going to just strip off their clothes, but their masks as well. It was also about the seriousness of the moment, the so-much-needed honesty and sincerity and, most of all, trust.

She raised her right hand, opening up to him as she put it next to her head, nervously toying with her wet hair, waiting for him to do something. He leaned into her touch since her left hand still continued in the caresses, smiling widely because he couldn't believe she was really about to be his. Her body, her mind, her heart and her soul – those would belong to him in no time.

He slowly rubbed his right hand across her body up to the towel, hooking his finger around it, praying for no interruptions this time because he was deeply focused on this particular task. He locked her gaze with his, wanting to assure her about his pure intentions. He certainly wasn't doing this just to see her naked. He had higher ambitions than that.

She nodded slowly at his silent question as to whether she was ready for it, her heart threatening to explode. But she was already used to it. This man made her feel incredible things, so some quickening of her heartbeat was just trivial. Her gasp followed in the moment he started to unwrap the towel from her body, doing it very slowly, which was driving her crazy.

His eyes never left hers, he didn't dare to betray her trust by slipping his gaze lower to see how perfect her breasts were, how adorable her bellybutton was and how the place he wanted to see the most looked, and that was her lap. He was sure he would have enough time to appreciate every tiny detail of her divine body, to explore all her curves and taste every inch of her delicious skin.

She trusted him and he had to show her how much it meant for him, so his eyes stayed glued to hers, keeping the eye contact between them, reading each other's emotions. He tugged at the towel and she obediently lifted her back so he could remove it from beneath her as she saw in the corners of her eyes how he threw the fluffy fabric away, finally having the free way to her body.

It felt like fantasy, some kind of strange dream because she couldn't believe she lay in front of him stark naked, without any sign of shyness. But it was true, it was genuine reality and she couldn't help the way her body shivered when he broke the endless staring at each other and looked at the piece of flesh beneath him, memorizing every detail he could, so he would know which parts he should focus on when he got to them.

The heat waves, which were washing her over, made her feel giddy because she could feel the way his eyes feasted all over her skin, admiring softly her intimate parts even though she didn't see his face. The inspection lasted a bit too long than she liked. She didn't want him just to look, she wanted him to experience it all. She wanted to feel his touch, to feel him inside her. She wanted to hear sweet nothings he would whisper huskily into her ear while building the pleasure for the benefit of both. She just wanted him in general.

She couldn't take it anymore, wondering what he was studying for so long when he could easily carry out the examination with his hands. So she reached into his hair with her fingers, tugging at it gently while lovingly weaving through it. He lifted his head, looking at her with expression of utter admiration, trying to find the right words that would describe her beauty well enough.

The look itself caused reddening of her cheeks as she flushed with heat from the desire and passion she could see in his eyes. "Simply gorgeous." He breathed out, knowing that he couldn't find any better words to express his astonishment at her perfect body, not caring about those scars he could see, as well. They were part of who she was. In his eyes, they only showed what she had been through and how wonderfully she had been able to deal with it, for which he admired her greatly.

She blushed even more and smiled shyly, pleased with his compliment. Those two words meant the world to her and she couldn't help than feel loved like never before. Maybe it was the pure sincerity he put into it, maybe it was the warmth of his gaze and the twinkle in his green eyes that made her believe every word he had said, but she trusted him like never before in her life.

Her hand tentatively cupped his cheek like she was afraid he might disappear and she might wake up from this beautiful dream. Leaning into her touch, he moved with his head so her hand shifted on his lips as he stuck his tongue out and licked her palm, earning a giggle from her. She pulled the hand away, wrapping it around his neck, giving him a hint what she wanted the most right now.

He got it immediately, bending down and catching her lips between his, but before he had the chance to even start with drinking the sweet taste of hers, another knock on the door disrupted his concentration. He was ready to go back to his room, take his gun and shoot the person behind the door even though he immediately recognized the bubbly voice that could belong to the only person in the world – Abby.

"Ziva, are you still there?" Abby uncertainly asked through the door, wondering whether Ziva was already in the bathroom and could actually hear her, since she didn't notice any movements or other similar sounds behind the door.

"Yes?!" Ziva squeaked out without thinking, which was primarily caused by her frustration that somebody had interrupted them again, with the difference that she was now already naked, and also by the fact that Tony had stopped hovering over her and let his body to descend on top of hers. It had never felt so amazing to be surrounded by man's body like in this very moment.

Tony, meanwhile, raised his hand, wanting to punch the mattress and express his anger, but she prevented him from doing so by catching his wrist and sending him a warning gaze. Such a sound might raise Abby's suspicion and they would never get rid of her, she was sure of it. He apologized to her with his gaze but that didn't subdue his wrath in any way.

"I think I should go answer the door and tell her what she's interrupting here!" He whispered through gritted teeth, trying to be as quiet as possible. He was getting tired of those interruptions. _Couldn't he just get a little while with her completely alone?_

"Sh, do not even think about it!" She reprimanded him, getting lost in what Abby was saying. But it wasn't anything important, she was just apologizing for disturbing her shower again. But so as not to confuse herself, she turned her head to see the door and started to perceive Abby's chatter.

"...just wanted to ask you – have you seen Tony? McGee is looking for him everywhere, he probably isn't in his room and he isn't answering his phone. We have no idea where he is, it's like he vanished off the face of the Earth or something." Abby said, wondering whether Ziva knew something about Tony's disappearance, because it was all getting rather suspicious.

Ziva's head turned back so quickly she almost heard her vertebrae to scrape against each other. She quickly found his eyes and looked at him with unreadable expression. This was her way out of this – she knew very well where Tony was and what he was doing, and the fact somebody was searching for him wasn't very favourable in this moment. She didn't want any more interruptions if she was going to give in completely.

She could just tell Abby that Tony was in her room and he would have to take his clothes back on and leave, since McGee certainly needed something important. If she wasn't able to kick him out by herself, then she just got her chance how to put an end to this. The question was what she really wanted – whether she truly wished for him to just go away and forget about all of this, or whether she was ready for this huge step further and actually give in to the temptation and experience how sweet it might be.

Tony watched her very closely, trying to read in her eyes what she was thinking. He recognized the realization very clearly and felt a bit disconcerted, since it looked she even pondered it – to tell Abby he was here in her room just to get rid of him. He couldn't believe she would do it. Maybe few minutes ago, but not now when he had her naked beneath him and that she even approved it. She just couldn't continue to lie to herself.

He didn't care McGee was looking for him. He wasn't interested in the needs of other people. He wanted to be selfish for a while and just think about his and her need to express their feelings for each other. _Was it really too much to ask? _He just wanted to have a private moment with a woman he loved, wanting to show her the depth of his feelings, nothing more.

And she was aware of that, she had shown him she trusted him so he really didn't want to believe she would just throw it all away and try to make him forget about what had happened between them. Because this certainly wasn't something he could just erase out of his mind. He could never forget the way she tasted, especially when he now had enough time to memorize her flavour.

His eyes were pleading her not to break his heart and give him the chance he had to show her exactly what he felt for her. He could feel her heart beat erratically as her eyes studied his face, trying to find answers to unspoken questions, knowing she had to decide very soon since Abby awaited a reply. His own heart mirrored the same speed as hers, but it was full of unimaginable fear. He didn't know what he would do if she really gave him away. The only thing he knew that the pain would be unbearable.

She dropped his hand that she still gripped and inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the way her nipples hardened against his bare chest, rubbing it gently and making her groan inwardly. "No, I haven't seen him. I have no clue where he might be, Abby." She gave Abby the answer about which she was completely certain. It didn't have any meaning to fight against something she just couldn't, he would try it again later anyway, she was sure about it.

_Where was the point of any sort of struggle when this was a losing battle?_ He had her naked, he himself was half-naked, she wanted him and he wanted her. _And to make him leave and forget about it?_ How could she after all those sensations he had awakened in her, especially when he had made her so horny by just few caresses and kisses? Call her weak but she wasn't afraid to admit it anymore because yes – she was weak when it came to him. But she didn't mind it at all.

Tony breathed a deep sigh of relief, lowering his head and tickling the crook of her neck with his nose as he chuckled. "You scared me a little for a second there, you know?" He whispered with obvious ease in his voice since she just gave him the permission he needed. She hadn't revealed his presence in the room and, moreover, she had denied she even knew where he was. Unambiguous proof of her want for him.

He couldn't be happier and admitted that she had to be rewarded for this. She couldn't show him in any better way that his seducing attempts hadn't been for nothing, that they had borne fruits in a way he wanted. So he attached his lips to her pulse point, feeling the vibration caused by another guttural groan she made, and started to suck delightfully on it, smiling smugly against her skin when he felt her body shiver under him.

She moaned softly, trying to stifle it since Abby was still standing behind the door, but her willpower was slowly fading away. Especially when he engaged his hands in pleasing her, tracing his way with his right hand from her hip up to her body while his left hand find her thigh, gripping it gently. She whispered his name when he nipped her earlobe, making her mind to go blank and stop paying attention to what was Abby saying although she heard some words in the distance.

"Oh, never mind. Thanks anyway. Sooner or later we'll find him with McGee so no worries. He couldn't just vanish into thin air, could he? So, see you later!" Abby replied cheerfully even though she began to worry what had happened to Tony. He had been fine when they had arrived to the hotel, but this disappearance was rather strange.

Tony pulled his face away from her neck so he would give her the chance to think and answer, smiling widely at her drunken expression, which signified how much turned on she actually was. "Yeah, see you Abby." She more breathed out than actually said, feeling completely dizzy and hoping there wouldn't be any more interruptions from now on. They didn't have too much time and she just needed to get what she wanted.

She turned her head back to the door, once more listening carefully to Abby's retreating steps while unconsciously massaging the nape of his neck and caressing his arm like she wanted to be sure he was still there because she already got used to the weight of his body on hers. He looked at the door too, but soon focused his gaze on the person that interested him the most and the way her flushed face glowed with heat caused by the desire she was slowly letting out.

When she was certain Abby was gone for good, she turned her head at him and looked into his face. She secretly and immediately fell in love with the roguish smile of his that still revealed his boyish nature as his eyes studied her with gratitude, since she had definitely just said yes to whatever he had in mind. It made her squirm, but that only widened the smirk as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards with amusement.

"What?" She asked him quietly, playing with his hair in the meantime, wondering whether he wanted to laugh at her since it wasn't even half an hour when she had tried to make him go back to his room and now she'd just denied his presence in her room and had lied to Abby about his whereabouts.

His amused grin, which could only be described as a smile of a Cheshire cat, was spread all over his face as he gazed at her triumphantly, satisfied with himself that she had yielded in the end. The fingers of his right hand started to play with her wet curls to repay her actions in similar way as he licked his lips lusciously, watching as her pupils darkened with lust when she saw his tongue.

"So, um... You haven't seen me, hm?" He asked her, the smug smile never leaving his face, trying not to burst out laughing. But he was so overjoyed with the fact that she'd given him the chance to show her what he felt for her that he would love to dance if he wasn't lying in the bed with Ziva David. That was situation he couldn't let to slip away. On the contrary – he had to make the most of it.

She lowered her eyes but then looked back at him, staring at him shyly. _What was she supposed to tell him? That she was too weak to fight against her desires? That he was so damn irresistible that she couldn't help than want to give in? That it didn't matter anyway because she was already naked and surrounded by his almost-naked body?_ _That she even let him strip her of her towel almost without any resistance?_

Not that it was hard since the only thing she'd worn was the bloody excuse of a towel, and he had done a masterful job in seducing her, she had to give him that. But she didn't want to tell him any of this, since it would only boost his ego. And if Tony DiNozzo didn't need something, it was increasing his self-confidence. He managed to do that all by himself.

She sighed with a greedy moan and pursed her lips. "Shut up and kiss me." She conceded, succumbing to the inevitable, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down to get the sweet kiss she so much hungered for, ready to kill him if he didn't obey.

He didn't wait any longer because although he loved teasing her, he knew he would have enough time in the future to remind her how she hadn't been able to resist him and make a proper use of it. His lips descended on hers, not at all hesitating in completely swallowing her, wanting to eat her up with his for far too long pent-up passion that was burning inside him for years.

_**The End of Chapter 9**_

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><p><strong>Well, I hope you don't consider this as a cliffhanger, I think I've given you too many of them. :D This chapter was a bit shorter than the previous ones but I can totally promise you, that the following one is almost three times longer so you will get what you want for all the time in a very detailed way. ;) Take it as a Christmas present from me to you because you're so amazing that I have no words for it.<strong>

**Next chapter is totally rated M so be prepared for it, of course. ;) The sweet giving in is finally here and I'm pretty sure you'll love it. ;)**

**Anyway, I have to return back to my studying because nobody will do those things for me, so I'm the only one who can make it. ;) Until next week – bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note:**

**Merry Christmas everyone! One of the best times of the year has come and since it's the only time I am able to relax, I thoroughly enjoy it. However, it's also sad because this is th last Christmas vacation of my life... Because there won't be no school anymore.**

**Anyway, I want to wish you all Merry Christmas, lots and lots of gifts you wish for under the Christmas tree, enjoy the time with your family and have nice festivities! That goes even for those who don't celebrate Christmas – have a wonderful time, anyway. :)**

**Special Merry Christmas then go to ****Athenalarissa**** and ****tivadivalover****. Girls, I know it's hard for you to find a mood to feel happy during this time and that's why I want to wish you all the happiness in the world, if it is possible. Your tragedies are different, both of you know about what I am talking about but neither of you deserve what happened to you. I am honoured to call you my friends and if this piece of my story can brighten your day and take your minds off your problems for a while, I'm happy for you and flattered that you read this. Thank you :)**

**Thanks to my ****Guest**** reviewer and ****Annedith**** for expressing their opinion, I hope you'll like this chapter as well. :)**

**And thousands of thanks to you ****Debbie****! Your kindness is just indescribable. Hope the cold shower helped but I think you'll need a new one. :D**

**Anyway, after all the stalling and interrupting them, I think it's finally time to give you the thing you all waiting for from the very beginning, right? True Christmas present for you is here... ;) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 10<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_She lowered her eyes but then looked back at him, staring at him shyly. What was she supposed to tell him? That she was too weak to fight against her desires? That he was so damn irresistible that she couldn't help than want to give in? That it didn't matter anyway because she was already naked and surrounded by his almost-naked body? That she even let him strip her of her towel almost without any resistance?_

_Not that it was hard since the only thing she'd worn was the bloody excuse of a towel, and he had done a masterful job in seducing her, she had to give him that. But she didn't want to tell him any of this, since it would only boost his ego. And if Tony DiNozzo didn't need something, it was increasing his self-confidence. He managed to do that all by himself._

_She sighed with a greedy moan and pursed her lips. "Shut up and kiss me." She conceded, succumbing to the inevitable, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down to get the sweet kiss she so much hungered for, ready to kill him if he didn't obey._

_He didn't wait any longer because although he loved teasing her, he knew he would have enough time in the future to remind her how she hadn't been able to resist him and make a proper use of it. His lips descended on hers, not at all hesitating in completely swallowing her, wanting to eat her up with his for far too long pent-up passion that was burning inside him for years._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

His hand slipped back on her waist, squeezing it in desperation, trying to show her what she made him feel. He gripped her thigh with his left hand as he added a light rock of his hips, making them both to moan in pleasure. Nothing could stop them now. He was determined to ignore any knock on the door and prevent her from answering it if such a situation occurred, even if it was Gibbs himself behind the door.

Judging by the fact that her fingers couldn't get enough of weaving through his hair, he guessed she felt the same way. He couldn't even describe how much he loved it when she massaged his skull, sending shivers down his spine and arousing in him euphoric emotions as every fibre of his being was dying for her attention. And in the moment he got it, he was soaring in the sky, his heart jumping up and down in his chest.

More direct contact of their bodies, that was what she decided that she wanted to achieve. Her right leg stuck out from beneath his, ignoring his hand on her thigh which tried to prevent her from doing so, and wrapped around his, locking it there firmly. It brought her pelvis closer to his. She had accomplished her mission, because to feel the proof of his desire on her naked skin was even better than before, through the towel.

And she couldn't wait to feel it for real without his jeans on and whatever sort of garment he had on underneath. In her opinion, he had too many clothes in comparison to her and she decided to change that immediately and without asking. She gathered all of the remaining strength she had, slipping her hands on his back and, with the help of her leg, she started to flip them over.

He smiled into the kiss, realizing the second she had tried it for the first time what she had intended to do, so he stopped fighting against it and helped her by rolling himself on to his back, taking her with him, grasping her neck and changing the angle of the kiss in the process. A giggle escaped his mouth as her wet hair tickled him, but he didn't mind it. On the contrary he revelled in it.

She giggled with him because he repaid it to her by tickling the sensitive skin on her waist and groin, making her to squirm in his lap as she tried to straddle his hips, which made him groan into her mouth since she sensually rubbed her entrance against the bulge in his jeans. Such an action sent him almost over the edge but he knew he still had to keep his self-control, since he wasn't even naked yet.

All those sounds he let out of his mouth deprived him of the remaining oxygen he'd had in his lungs, so he reluctantly broke the kiss to inhale. She welcomed it, too, and finally found the right sitting position, putting her hands on his chest. But she didn't straighten up, she was still leaning forward to see his face properly as she shook with her head a bit and teased his cheeks with her wet hair.

Tony took her hair and made a little bun so she would stop with tickling him, trying not to think about how this scene resembled to the one he had experienced few years back on their first undercover assignment. This time it had one huge difference – no sheets. He actually could see her naked body, knowing she wanted him to see her, so there was no pretence like back then when she'd forced him to swear on his mother's grave he hadn't seen anything.

She had noticed the similarity of the situations, too, but couldn't care less. The most important thing right now was to finally strip him of his clothes and not to leave any piece of clothing on his muscular body. "Hope you don't mind." She apologized for her need to be in control for a while, suddenly wanting to share the domination with him. It wasn't about who was on top, both had their right to be in a charge of this thing that was happening between them.

He sent her a surprised gaze, not expecting any apologize since he thought she didn't have anything to be sorry for as he tilted his head on the right and peeked, how her naked body was straddling his hips from the side, admiring the view for a while. He could sense her deepening blush, since she could very clearly see his lust-filled eyes which appreciatively roamed over her body and his ears caught the sexy impatient whimper she let out of her mouth.

"Are you kidding? This is a sight to die for." He replied, grazing her cheeks with his thumbs while still trying to hold her hair in the bun he had made, because a few strands had escaped and were framing her face lightly.

Her hands embraced his head as she smiled at him sweetly, hypnotizing him before she bent down and kissed him slowly and soundly, exploring his mouth with her tongue, getting deeper and deeper inside his throat each time she moved with her lips against his. A few moans accompanied the amorous play as his fingertips massaged her skull. And then he let go of her hair completely, rather focusing on her body, teasing her hips and breasts.

She was tireless in drinking his lips. His kiss was so intoxicating that it seemed to be a sin to just give it up so easily. Especially, when his skilful tongue took her up on her offer and fought with her in the imaginary war, massaging at first, then teasing her with the tip of his tongue and rounding it off with an in-depth inspection of every corner of her delicious mouth.

However, when he eagerly bucked with his hips, reminding her that he still wasn't naked and they could have even more fun if he was, she was able to snap herself out of the dizziness caused by the kiss and broke it to suck in some oxygen before she glued her lips to his skin once more with only one thing in mind – to kiss every inch, every tiny dark corner she could find on his body and get him into a state of complete ecstasy.

She flooded his jaw with a set of tender kisses, while caressing his cheeks, reaching with her hands into his hair and raking it sensually, making him to feel contradictory emotions as he was washed over by unimaginable heat but having a freezing, tingly sensation at the same time. His hot, fitful breath fanned her skin, sending goose bumps across it, but she didn't let it distract her from what she was doing.

She shifted her mouth to his neck, repaying those amazing things he had done to her pulse point a few minutes ago, paying very close attention to his jugular vein, satisfied with the quickening heartbeat she could sense as she licked it up and down. Nevertheless, she was rather careful not to leave any bite mark or hickey on his skin, since she was still aware of the fact that what they were doing was a forbidden fruit. Nobody was supposed to know about this and that meant not to give anybody a reason to suspect anything.

His earlobes weren't omitted as she nipped them gently and sucked on them for a little while, hearing him groan in delight while his hands wandered over her back, occasionally slipping on her ass to grab her by her cheeks, or on the sides of her breasts to tease her in a way he knew only he could. She didn't resist and whispered a few immodest words into his ears to heat things even more up, even though it wasn't needed at all. They had both felt all hot for quite some time now.

It was amazing for him to let himself to be so worshipped, for once finally being not the only one who provided the pleasure. He liked it. He was enjoying it very much, since it didn't happen very often, primarily because he didn't allow it. He took it as his job to take the woman he was with on the level of pleasure she might not even know was possible, and, because it delighted him as well, he didn't insist on some sort of foreplay for him too.

He, rather, explored the woman's body by himself, but he had to admit that there were rare occasions when he let the woman to do with him anything she took into her head. Those occasions applied only to women that meant something very significant for him, so usually a woman he was in love with and what they were doing together was called love-making. And that was exactly what he was doing right now – making love to a woman he was crazy about.

Another groan left his mouth in the moment, she trailed her kissing way down his chest, licking and sucking on his nipples because she really wanted to stick with her plan and explore as much as she could to get to know his body and his reactions to her caresses. She was supposed to 'explore', after all, and found his weak spots, so she would know where to touch him to titillate him in the future.

He had never thought that it might feel so fantastic, and he had to admit she drove him completely crazy with the way she rubbed her breasts with her erected nipples across his chest, purposely applying enough pressure to make him to lose control or whatever she tried to achieve by this foreplay. The only thing he knew was that he couldn't ever get enough of it as his hands reached into her hair since her body was moving away and he didn't have the strength to pull her closer.

His bellybutton became her next target as she swirled her tongue around it, making him jerk with his stomach that began to shake with laughter because it tickled him. She cheekily stuck the tongue inside and teased him unimaginably while he tried to do his best not to pluck her hair. So he let go of it and put his hands on the bed, digging his nails into the mattress.

Her hands stealthily reached to the zipper of his jeans, pulling it down as she smiled evilly at the moan mixed with a curse when he felt the light touch of her fingers on the bulge inside. She could even feel how his nails dug into the bed to keep his self-control and fighting with the inevitable loss of his self-restraint. But that didn't stop her, of course. She was determined to give him the taste of his own medicine, so he would know how he had tortured her with his kisses.

He had to admit she was able to have her payback in an extremely good way when she started to kiss his pelvis, agonizingly stopping at the waistband of his boxers, rubbing her breasts across his crotch. His chest heaved up and down as he breathed heavily, too stubborn to beg her to stop, so he rather found a way how to actually enjoy the means she decided to use to torment him.

The anguish even deepened when she looked at him and smiled mysteriously, winking at him teasingly before she crawled away from the bed, standing in front of it. He didn't have a chance to blink as she grabbed his jeans and snatched them off him in one swift move, throwing them away as far as possible. Her breasts swayed because of the movement she had made and all he could do was just stare at them in utter astonishment.

Her body was perfect in every sense of the word and he had for it only word – divine. Sure, he had seen it before – when he had inspected it few minutes ago when he had finally gotten rid of the towel, but she had been lying beneath him, whereas now she was standing, completely unashamed, in all her beauty. He couldn't wait for the moment this body would be his, knowing that he would have her heart and soul as well. She belonged only to him from now on.

He was in such an astounded lethargy that he didn't register she crawled back on the bed, in her case not noticing how he roamed his eyes all over her body because her attention was focused only one thing – to strip him of his clothes completely. And there was only one garment she had to take off, and since she was tired of the constant hesitation, she just grabbed it and ripped it off, tossing his boxers away as if they were garbage.

She drank in to the sight in front of her, noticing that his own eyes were rather busy, so he probably didn't have any idea that he was already naked, although he had helped her obediently when he had lifted his hips so she could remove the remaining piece of clothing on him. He was glorious, she had to admit that. Those hours he had been spending, lately, in the gym were rather visible, although she always knew that he was handsome. But to see him actually without his clothes was even better.

The pool between her legs became completely insufferable the moment her eyes settled on his manhood as through her mind flashed a set of images of what she could do with it. Her mind concentrated only on his amazing body, she failed to remember where she was and why. She didn't even remember what had gotten her into this situation and why they were both naked.

She only knew that she wanted to make proper use of it. She wanted him so much she couldn't wrap her head around it, but her need for him was immense and she was losing it. She was blazing with desire, whimpering impatiently because she wanted him to take her right here and now. She wanted to kiss him, to lick him all over, to make him to lose control while building the pleasure deep inside her for the delight of them both.

The whimper snapped him out of the trance he was in and he looked into her eyes, fascinated by the raw lust and uncontrollable desire he could see there. He watched as she darted out her tongue and licked her lips while her eyes travelled across his throbbing erection with open interest. He groaned inwardly at the thought of seeing her how she could gratify him by treating his manhood as if it was a lollipop.

He would be lying if he didn't admit he had dreamt about it, that it would fulfil one of his fantasies if she gave him a blowjob, but even he had a little sense of responsibility to know they didn't have enough time for two rounds. Because he knew if he let her to do what she currently had in mind, he wouldn't be able to control himself that much to make it last.

And what was happening between them was about making love, not just resolving the sexual tension and satisfying their cravings. He wanted to know how it felt like to be surrounded by her heat, he wanted to feel her nails digging into his back, raking his skin, he wanted to hear her moans of pleasure in his ears, whispers that bore his name while he would repay her with various sweet nothings and kisses that would make her even dizzier than she already was.

So he had to choose – it was either one thing or the other but he couldn't have both, because it required two rounds and for that, they didn't have the greatest conditions since they were supposed to be somewhere else very soon. He felt sorry for it, because he wanted it like nothing else, especially after the foreplay she had performed, because to feel her lips on his skin like that was sensational as Hell.

He caught her by her arms with regret when she crawled closer to him, with obvious intent in her nasty mind, and gave them a tug, getting their bodies in the direct contact again. She didn't expect it, so there wasn't sign of resistance from her side as she landed on top of him with a loud yelp, straddling his lap while he tried to do his best to keep his balance by sitting up, his hands immediately slipping down on her back to support her.

She didn't know why he did it but she certainly wasn't complaining. She missed his body heat and the way his skin rubbed hers was so amazing that she was able to forgive him for interrupting her intention. Her arms immediately wrapped around his neck, adjusting their position a bit as he was staring up at her and she was looking down at him, since she didn't sit down but still kneeled, offering his face her breasts.

They watched each other for a while, reading in their eyes while the heat between their bodies rose on another level. She could feel his erratic heartbeat since her stomach was pressed on his chest, making the butterflies inside it toss from side to side and sending shivers down her spine while he could hear the way her heart jumped up and down in her chest. It was a powerful moment that could end up only with one result – a mighty passionate kiss.

And so it happened – their lips met with a hunger that testified about their need for one another, moving in that harmonious sync they were so familiar with but, still, it felt as if they were kissing for the first time. They couldn't get enough of exploring, tasting, biting, intertwining their tongues and the sounds that came with it in the form of moans and groans, gasps and sighs.

They were soaring in the sky, letting the kiss control their minds and make them feel even more turned on than before. His hands roamed all over her naked back, tracing the line of her spine, teasing with his fingertips the outline of her ass and reaching them into her hair, then slipping them onto her neck, changing the angle while he rubbed his nose against hers.

They alternated the control over the kiss. In one moment she was in charge, and the other, he set the pace he considered to be the best one to heat the things up, although it wasn't necessary. The way she raked his hair, caressed his cheeks and ears, pressing him to her body like if she was afraid he would vanish in any minute, was already enough for him to know he didn't need any more of the foreplay.

He broke the kiss to inhale and, judging by those puffs she was making, she needed some portion of oxygen, too. She looked at him gratefully, since she didn't have enough will to give up of his lips. He was addictive like a drug. Hell, she already knew she wasn't able to survive another day without getting at least small peck on a cheek, because she was in need to feel his marvellous lips on her skin every second of her life.

"God, you're perfect." He whispered breathlessly, squeezing her waist and appreciating her flawlessness because in his eyes she was totally faultless, even though he knew she wasn't.

She just whimpered something unintelligible because she was unable to say a word to what he had said to her. Besides, she could feel his erection behind her and it was making her all hot and bothered even more. She was so close to getting everything she'd dreamt about for years, to finally let out all the suppressed passion and fulfil her secret desires she tried to forget about for so long.

Completely enchanted by the way she was looking at him, sending him those lascivious gazes, he raised his hand and played with her forming curls as her hair was slowly but certainly becoming dry. He noticed a few drops of something on her forehead but when he inspected it closely, he realized those weren't drops of water but sweat. Her skin was burning, she was frying herself in her own lust, wanting him like never before.

"You're sweating." He told her with noticeable fascination, cracking a self-assured smile, quickly sliding his hands down her heated skin.

She let out something that could be described as a chuckle, groping his body with her hands everywhere she could reach, fanning his face with short, ragged breaths, and clearly showing her sexual need for him. "I just want you that much." She breathed out huskily, biting her lip seductively and stunning him with the open admission.

Then she swallowed him with her open-mouthed kiss, wrapping her hands around his neck and then his head, not giving him any chance to pull away. He decided not to embarrass himself and, rather, repaid the kiss with all the passion he felt and the same aggression she applied to desperately show her how deep his feelings for her were. Nobody could take this from him. He was determined to finish what they had started even if a terrorist group seized the hotel. He honestly didn't care.

Her hands didn't stick too long on his head since she just needed to feel his lively body, and because he didn't allow her to please him with her mouth and bring him onto the level of complete ecstasy, she at least hoped he would let her to touch him. And since his erected manhood was just behind her, occasionally brushing the skin on her ass, she didn't have a hard time getting her hands behind her.

But she had miscalculated his willingness to let her to do whatever crossed her mind, because he caught her right hand in the moment he realized what her intention had been and reacted even quicker to her left hand that immediately shot out, and rather violently gripped her by her wrists, preventing her from touching him. Not that he didn't want it – again, he would be the greatest liar in the world if he didn't admit it was one of his fantasies but he really wanted this to last.

She groaned in frustration into his mouth, at first letting him hold her hands but then she decided to fight for her right to touch him in a way she craved for. The kiss become rather brutal because she just had to express her belligerence somehow and he, on the other hand, showed his intransigence because he didn't have any intention to let her win. Not to mention that the fight turned them on even more.

She managed free her hands few times while still relentlessly kissing him, but he always managed to catch them before she could do anything. He also had a hard time keeping himself up in the sitting position because she evidently tried to make him to lie down, so he would become more vulnerable, but he managed to handle it. He was actually having fun with the frustrating despair she had to be feeling, because he was the one who was winning this little battle.

But he was forced to break the kiss when her behaviour got really violent, almost biting through his tongue and harming him. When he looked at her, he couldn't believe his eyes – the wild expression on her face clearly showed that there was just one thing that interested her. He saw the traces of the old Ziva David he had met years ago and who had changed in front of his eyes into the woman he saw now.

He didn't even have to guess she was also pissed off, so he decided to give her the explanation why he so much refused to let her to touch him. "Look, I really do appreciate your... keen interest, but as you know, we have only little time." He said and reminded her that the time schedule was rather busy and people awaited them on the rehearsal dinner which was about to start very soon.

She comprehended immediately what he had tried to tell her but that didn't mean she didn't feel disappointed. She was just so eager to get to know every inch of his body and the pleasure they could experience together that she had completely forgotten about some responsibility or prudence. She didn't care about the wedding. Her interest was only him, and there was no way she would give up on it.

So, she just shrugged with her shoulders, easing her fighting spirit and letting him to continue with whatever he wanted to tell her. "So, let's leave these other ways to please each other for the next time, OK?" He offered, promising her and himself as well that the next time they would have a chance to experience this delight again, and he hoped it was going happen very soon, they would take their time in exploring. They deserved it after all those years of suppressing what they had really wanted.

He loved watching how the emotions reflected on her face but the expression that appeared there after he said the sentence, completely mesmerized him. She looked as if she was smitten, literally. Like her life finally had some meaning, like she didn't think there would be some next time, despite the fact that she trusted him but he had just given her the chance that there would more next time. That this was really about love – genuine, real and profound love, he felt only towards her.

She bent down and gave him slow, passionate kiss that probably testified about her gratefulness, finally letting all of her feelings out of her chest, even those she didn't have any idea she'd had. He released her hands, knowing that they had reached another mutual agreement, and gripping them wasn't needed anymore. Besides he wanted to touch her again and caress her heated skin while she craved for the same, so he didn't see any reason why he would deny her that.

Raking his hair, she released his lips with a soft moan and nudged his nose with a smile that had the power to turn the toughest man in the world into a mush. "Next time, then." She whispered, slipping her fingers onto his swollen lips, wanting to get them even puffier and give the world the evidence that he spent long minutes kissing her. She didn't give a damn about anyone who might notice it, and about the consequences it might bring.

His face lit up with undeniable joy, sending her one of his best and widest smiles, watching her face and mainly her eyes that revealed what exactly she felt. It all reflected in the erratic speed her heart was beating, wanting to jump out of her chest and give herself over to him unconditionally. She was his, at least for the time being, because her surrender was clear and indisputable. And he was more than happy to do the same.

She shifted in his lap, adjusting the way she was straddling him, still keeping the eye contact between them. He didn't have to guess what she was doing, now when the understanding was unequivocal, there was no point to wait any longer, no point to deny their desires anymore. It was time to give in to the temptation, forget about everything and just savour the connection they were about to establish.

Her questioning gaze didn't surprise him at all. He had known her long enough to know she would try to assure herself that this was what they really wanted. So, he gave her a short nod of approval, slipping his hands on her back and securely holding her. A small smile spread across her face as she leaned in, only to be welcomed by his already waiting warm lips that didn't hesitate to kiss her thoroughly.

She found the right support in his shoulders, putting her hands there as she started to slowly sit down, wrapping gently her soaking wet pussy around his shaft, breaking like that the last wall that stood between them. Their mouths continued to move against each other through the whole moment, enjoying the bliss with every fibre of their beings, soaking up the fantastic feeling they were experiencing together.

Nevertheless, Ziva had to break the kiss, it was just too much for her and she needed to breathe, especially after she completely sat down into his lap and buried his manhood deep inside her. Her arms trembled as she tried to get a better hold of his body, needing a bit more time to get used to the new situation she found herself in. She leaned her head against his chest, breathing out shakily and slightly digging her nails into his skin.

Tony needed a moment to get accustomed, as well, but he began to worry about her when she refused to meet his gaze. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head to make her to look at him and find out whether something was wrong. When he saw the greedy look, he knew there was nothing to be concerned about, she certainly didn't have any second thoughts over it.

They both leaned in simultaneously and joined their lips back together, never getting enough of the intoxicating kiss and the synchronized motions. It was as if they had been born for each other because they didn't need a very long time to find the right pace they both enjoyed and become addicted to it. No other substitute could ever be equal to this habit-forming drinking of each other's mouths.

She wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing his head closer while he roamed his hands all over her back, returning her the kisses and taking the initiative by himself here and there. He almost lost it in the moment she decided she had had enough of doing nothing and rocked with her hips, making his erection bury into her even deeper than before.

He groaned loudly into her mouth, presumably moaning her name as she guessed by the muffled sound, but she didn't let him unglue from her lips. She deepened the kiss, making use of his fully opened mouth to taste the already familiar corners of it. However, she couldn't help but moan as well because the pleasure was indescribable.

And she wanted to feel it all over again, so she repeated the movement, always earning a groan in delight from him and a blissful sigh from herself. His hands slipped down on her ass, squeezing her cheeks and pressing her into his crotch more closely, achieving more of the amazing direct contact of their bodies. He completely fell in love with the way her breasts rubbed alongside his chest while she was practicing her wavy moves.

They didn't stop kissing each other despite the essential and natural need for fresh air, so they always inhaled during changing the angle of the lip lock and carried on as if they weren't separated at all. Truth to be told, the angle was being changed rather often, actually every few seconds, because those moans, groans and sighs in pleasure deprived them of great portions of the oxygen.

The slow, leisurely rhythm she set was driving them both insane, but neither of them complained because they loved it and couldn't imagine any other way how to build the pleasure. It was more than seventh heaven because this feeling of blissfulness was full of the love they felt for each other, which was definitely proved by the tenderness of their movements and caresses.

There was nothing rough about their love-making, the gentleness of their actions spoke for itself. He treated her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, kissing her with vigour but he didn't dare to use any form of violence, digging his nails into her skin but he was very careful to not to leave any marks on it and his touches were so tender that it was making her tremble with excitement.

And she was doing the same, her usually wild and torrid behaviour was suddenly tamed. She didn't even have the need to express her satisfaction by some brutal ways. She was completely contended with the amount of passion and affection between them, she couldn't wish for more. She was melting in his arms, it didn't matter whether he just touched her in a way she craved for or kissed her like if she was the only woman in the world. She was just his.

He let her to do all the work, because he knew it was what she wanted and he was sure he would have his own chance to take the charge of this fantastic love-making. However, it was getting harder and harder for him to control himself – here and there he did something that clearly showed that he was on the edge of his self-restraint and he wasn't too far away from losing it.

That became apparent the moment his hips involuntarily jerked and he pumped into her, making her to shriek in delight into his mouth as she broke the kiss, panting heavily and leaning her head against his shoulder. His nails dug into the skin on her butt, immediately shifting on the small of her back to support her because her body suddenly went limp in his arms, trembling uncontrollably.

He looked at her with guilty expression on his face, hoping that he hadn't overstepped the line, but he really couldn't help himself anymore. The lust was controlling his mind like nothing else. He raised his hand when he was sure she was still able to keep herself together and not to collapse, and gently rubbed her arm soothingly from her shoulder down her wrist, sending goose bumps across her skin.

She exhaled shakily, shivering under his touch as she raised her arms to take better hold of his body, scrambling around for it for a while, but then she found it and hugged him tightly. She felt so weak and faint, totally shaken to the core by the pleasure she had felt when he had hit the sweet spot inside her, completely disarming her and making her feel so bedazzled that she wasn't able to gather her thoughts.

"Tony..." She moaned into his ear when she recuperated a bit, lifting her head up and voicing her satisfaction verbally.

He groaned loudly at the sultry voice she used, because it was making havoc in his head. He unconsciously pumped into her once more, not able to control the movements of his own body, just to hear the moan again. He became addicted to that sound the moment he had heard it. He wanted to hear it for so long that he couldn't hide the joy that flooded him when she did so.

The moan she awarded him with was music to his ears, especially when she added another one the second he yanked with his hips, ignoring the fact she shifted her left hand into his hair, tugging at it in desperation which hurt a bit. He did it once more, smiling widely when she met with his thrust and again let out the sexy sound of her mouth, delighting his ears as if it was the best song he had ever heard.

The next moan of hers was almost his undoing, because she gave him a proof that he didn't do anything bad when he had lost the control for a minute. "More." She whimpered impatiently, begging him to provide her the delightful satisfaction she had been experiencing when he had moved within her.

He grabbed her by her neck and pulled her away from his ear to look into her face which was glowing with contentment he'd never had the chance to see. It was a mixture of every emotion that raged through her body filled with sultriness and love. He was amazed with how she wasn't able to mask her feelings anymore, she really hadn't just thrown away her clothes but her inhibitions as well. In other words – he had won her heart, she was truly his.

His lips hungrily claimed hers, devouring her as he reached with his hands into her hair, revelling in weaving his fingers through it as it naturally curled while becoming dry and did as she commanded – he gave her more. And since there was no need to keep any self-control, he didn't show any as he started to yank with his hips to bring them both on the edge of their sanity. He let everything out, losing himself in the process, but he really didn't mind it at all. She became his world, she was all he was living for.

She repaid his kisses, moaning into his mouth when they found the right rhythm and their hips rocked together in harmonious synch, their lips glued together and their hands roaming and caressing their naked skin. They got carried away completely, nothing in the world could stop them. There was no force that would make them to give this up. The pleasure was just too great to throw away.

They drove each other totally crazy with the way they mirrored their actions with their tongues inside their mouths, increasing the satisfaction on a new level, proving their inability to control themselves anymore. The tips of their tongues collided with one another, intertwining together and creating a knot, then gently massaging until one of them repeated the whole process all over again.

Ziva broke the kiss after a while because her strength was slowly but certainly leaving, knowing she wasn't too far away from shattering into pieces. It was actually a rather heroic performance from her, because he had made her horny a long time ago and his seducing attempts definitely hadn't been helping. They had boosted her want even more. She couldn't even believe she was able to last this long.

Her mouth, however, didn't stop in pleasing him – she shifted it on his neck, finding his pulse point once more and repeating her actions from before, teasing his jugular vein. He awarded her with a groan and powerful thrust which made her to moan against his skin, grazing her teeth across it but she was still being careful not to bite him and make any mark there.

She also nipped his earlobes, moaning few words into his ear that either bore his name or begged him for more, and he couldn't resist than to comply with her wish, increasing the speed a bit. She kept up with the pace as best she could, arching her back and revealing her neck like that and he gratefully accepted such offer, attaching his lips to the sensitive skin, returning her the teasing in the same fashion.

Her cooperative personality made her to bend her head backwards to give him enough space for what he was doing, proving to him, again, that she was very responsive woman, and he couldn't wish for more. He loved her flavour, because to taste her skin was sinfully addicting. He revelled in those vibrating sounds he could sense with his tongue every time she moaned or sighed in pleasure.

He soon got tired of her neck, wanting to finally have a taste of her breasts, which this entire time, had rubbed against his chest, making him lose his mind. She understood what he tried to achieve, so she reluctantly let go of his body and, gripping his arms, she pulled away a bit to give him the access he needed, immediately moaning loudly when she felt his tongue to flick over her right nipple as he took it into his mouth.

The bliss was unbearable, she was becoming weaker and weaker by each passing second and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. His hands on the small of her back supported her and still kept her very close to him while she couldn't do anything else than reach with her own hands into his hair, raking it in a desperate attempt to find something solid she could grasp.

He made a little circle with her body in the backward bend she was in, getting even better access to her breasts, worshipping both with all the love he felt. Then she straightened back up and looked him at him lustfully while moaning impatiently, giving him a silent signal about her state. He understood it completely, he registered that her movements didn't have the energy that was there before, so he realized that she didn't have enough strength to help him to build the pleasure anymore.

Whispering her name, he joined their lips back together, kissing her with such passion that she had to wonder where he was taking it and, therefore, for how long he had dreamt about this. But any thoughts soon abandoned her in the moment he decided to change the position and started to lay down on the mattress, taking her with him and making her to lay on top of him.

She smiled into the kiss, straddling his crotch more tightly and sliding her hands down his chest because she was now in the complete control of this. She gathered the last remnants of her receding strength and added vigour into the rock of her hips, satisfied with the way he groaned because he didn't expect she had had any energy to spend. But he certainly didn't complain because it was sensual as Hell.

So he let her do whatever she wanted to, working on their orgasms because he knew he would be in control very soon and, besides, this was also about sharing the control, not fighting over it. He was actually glad for the fact he was lying down again because his back couldn't bear the sitting position anymore and since she enjoyed the change, too, he was more than contended with everything what was happening.

She strained to do anything she could to reach her release because she was so damn close, but it still seemed she couldn't achieve it because something was missing. There was just some sort of element she needed to get there, just to stretch out all of her muscles wasn't enough, it was to no avail. She was getting desperate because she just couldn't put a finger on what exactly her body screamed for. She didn't understand it because in any other case, the blissful feeling she so much wanted to feel would already be streaming through her veins.

Infuriated, she slammed her fist angrily against his chest, trying to give him some hint to help her because she had completely exhausted herself. She gave everything she could to it and still she couldn't get what she wanted the most. And she needed it, she was in such need of her release that she thought she might explode if she wouldn't get it.

Tony had to laugh at her desperate frustration, the way she was puffing into his mouth in a despairing attempt to experience the delightful sensation was truly adorable. He weaved his fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down but it wasn't helping. On the contrary, it seemed to annoy her to no end. Her strength was waning, he could feel it, so he decided to give her the helping hand she was asking for.

He put one of his hands on her back while the second one grasped her thigh and started to roll them over gently. She moaned gratefully and didn't fight against it. Contrarily, she helped him because she really couldn't stand it any longer. The moment she laid on her back beneath him, she recognized that this was exactly the element she craved for – to be surrounded by his amazing muscular body and to feel his weight pressing her into the mattress.

He broke the kiss and looked at her flushed face, noticing from her gaze that what he had done was the right thing. "Hope you don't mind." He whispered huskily, repeating her sentence from the moment when she had been the one who had rolled them over.

She chuckled breathlessly, wrapping her hands around his neck and recognizing her own words immediately, but she decided for different answer. "Never." She replied in the same husky tone as he, pulling his head down for a kiss.

He happily took her up on her offer and accepted the kiss without any protests, shifting his hand that was on her back on her waist, squeezing it softly to enjoy the piece of flesh beneath him. He loved the way their bodies fit together. They were truly made for each other which was proving him like nothing else than their love was real. He still hadn't said it by words but his actions were speaking for him more than enough.

When she tightened the clench of her legs around his hips, probably urging him to finally move and finish his job, he thrusts into her and she shrieked into his mouth, tearing herself away from his lips to inhale. It definitely was what she needed, because she couldn't breathe from the pleasure she was feeling at the moment, moaning loudly in the second he repeated the movement.

But he didn't give up so easily, he immediately claimed her lips again, enjoying the whimper of weakness she let out of her mouth because she was too dazed to defy. And since she didn't have any remaining strength, she was completely in his mercy. He set a pace that drove her crazy because, on the one hand, it was getting her closer to her release, but the pace was so slow that it actually stalled the thing she longed for.

She hated the feeling that something was so near but she couldn't get hold of it, especially when she knew it was just within arm's reach. That was why she reckoned on him that he would be able to take her, to unreservedly make her his and make her to lose her mind. She wanted to explode, to burst so she could live out the delightful, blissful feeling she was dying to experience.

It was primarily her want to be given that satisfaction from him, she counted on him that he would take her there because she desired to lose herself in the depths of the pleasure she was sure only he could give to her. She wanted to get to know the feeling and she wanted to do the same for him since the hunger for each other was always there but they had decided to act on it just now.

She couldn't stop moaning into his mouth as she even found some strength to meet with his thrusts, getting addicted to the way he moved inside her, hitting her sweet spot and caressing all those right places on her body. She would love to repay it, but the only thing she was able to do was to grasp his shoulders for support because she was truly on the edge of the sensational breakdown.

And he fulfilled all of her expectations, because after few satisfying powerful thrusts when she tried to urge him to go faster but he refused that, taking it agonizingly slowly, knowing that despite her requests, she would prefer the slow version, she pressed her body closer to his, moaning eagerly because she felt her release was very close.

In the moment the orgasm hit her, she broke the kiss and moaned deeply, forgetting to breathe and digging her nails into his skin in an attempt to hold tight. He just smiled, glad for her that she had finally achieved what she had hungered for, for so long, and continued in his tender caresses, kissing her jaw and her neck, occasionally focusing his attention on her earlobes while still carrying on in his thrusts to prolong the satisfaction for her.

Ziva was falling down as the world she knew until now started to crumble away, her body sinking into the black hole where nothing than darkness existed. Her mind went blank, she didn't hear, she didn't see and most of all, she didn't think. The flawless pleasure she was experiencing clouded her mind and everything around her turned into a misty blur.

All the five senses of hers were suppressed by the mighty satisfaction she let engulf her, completely focusing only on the bliss that streamed through her blood into the most hidden corners of her body. It made her body to go totally limp. She didn't feel her muscles anymore as she let the sensual thrill to pervade every fiber of her being, making her to tremble uncontrollably.

She could feel it as he tried to do his best to make it even more pleasant for her and she was grateful for it. The gentleness of his soft touches, the sweetness of his superb lips on her skin, the whole way he tried to give her the most amazing satisfaction in her life, was indescribably fantastic and titillating. She swore to herself to reward him for it with everything she could use to express her gratitude.

Her mouth was getting dry since she left it open in a silent scream which was actually the only way she was able to preserve her breathing, grasping his head and raking his hair sensually. The explosion deep inside her caused her skin to burn, the beads of sweat on her forehead proving it, while the heat was killing her because she had never felt so hot ever in her life.

It was like a torrid heat wave in the middle of summer, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. She couldn't get enough of him, she couldn't wrap her head around what this man made her feel because in this very moment, he became her everything. And she didn't mind even a bit. The butterflies in her stomach tossed from side to side, enhancing her satisfaction and her heart fluttered, jumping up and down in her chest as a very strong emotion seized her heart and the new feeling was born.

Well, it wasn't such a new feeling if she wanted to be honest with herself. The seed had been planted years ago and it had been growing and growing, but she had never let it overtake her. She had refused to believe he might induce such a feeling in her. She'd just considered it as impossible. So the seed had continued to grow secretly, just letting her know here and there about its existence.

But right now it sprouted and blossomed out, forcing its way to the surface and, even though she wasn't that familiar with it, she wasn't surprised with the intensity. It all made sense all of a sudden, despite the fact she had tried to deny it as much as she could in the past, she couldn't fight it anymore. Certainly not now when she was completely captivated by the bliss he had elicited.

"I love you." She breathed out in a soft, husky whisper, finally easing the tension that had controlled her heart for years. It was fantastically liberating to finally admit the feeling and let the realization become part of her personality.

However, she didn't have any idea she had said it aloud. It was an admission to herself. She had fought with it for so long that she hadn't realized her lips had moved as she let the love for him to come into bloom. In her head, it was only her heart that sent a signal to her brain that the feeling was real and genuine and she should admit it unconditionally. Because despite the acceptance she was in love with him, she still wasn't sure whether she was ready to tell him that.

_**The End of Chapter 10**_

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><p><strong>Do you want to kill me? Yes? I don't wonder... :D Come on, it was nice chapter and the smut continues in the next one... ;) <strong>

**Hope you liked the chapter, I just love to write smut about these two, gosh... Well, some words slipped out of Ziva's mouth – do you think Tony heard it? And how he will react? Is Ziva really unaware of her words? Just few question for the next chapter where the whole scene will continue right in the place we left off. ;) **

**Merry Christmas again to all my favourite people, you know who you are, we'll talk to each other, anyway and to the others – have a wonderful time, don't stress yourself, just sit and relax because it's needed from time to time. :)**

**Love you all, you're amazing and wonderful group of people, have a nice week and I guess I'll see you next Monday! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note:**

**Well, Christmas is gone, my dear readers, and the new chapter is here! :) Since we are going to the last days of the year 2014, I hope you'll all have Happy New Year, great celebrations and wonderful beginning of the year 2015!**

**Last time, I forgot to thank for the contribution of ****kay**** – I'm truly glad you like the story and that it resembles to the situation with the girl in your school. I hope that one day, one of you will get the courage and do something, just as Tony did, so you could be together. :) Good luck and I wish you no more interruptions ;)**

**Since I can't reply you in PM, ****OnlyNCIS girl****, I'm choosing this way – thank you so much for loving this story, it's a pleasure for me and I'm flattered to have such readers like you all are. :)**

**Thank you so much, ****Debbie****! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I'm happy you liked the present so much. :)**

**Dear ****Celine Krause****, it was a pleasure to deliver such Christmas present. :) Thank you so much for all those compliments, it made my hear jump. As for your wish that the scene would end soon so we would shift into different environment, the first part of the story will end with Chapter 14 so I can promise you that it will be soon. And aw, I'm flattered – however, the greatest present for me was that you read the chapter, liked it and told me so. Thank you :***

**And my dear ****Azucar****, I'm glad to have you back! :) I'm flattered with your compliment, thank you so much for that, and I can promise you that in some point of the story, they won't have to rush off somewhere so they will take their time ;)**

**Anyway, enjoy the next part of the smut and please, don't kill me at the end. :D**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 11<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_Well, it wasn't such a new feeling if she wanted to be honest with herself. The seed had been planted years ago and it had been growing and growing, but she had never let it overtake her. She had refused to believe he might induce such a feeling in her. She'd just considered it as impossible. So the seed had continued to grow secretly, just letting her know here and there about its existence._

_But right now it sprouted and blossomed out, forcing its way to the surface and, even though she wasn't that familiar with it, she wasn't surprised with the intensity. It all made sense all of a sudden, despite the fact she had tried to deny it as much as she could in the past, she couldn't fight it anymore. Certainly not now when she was completely captivated by the bliss he had elicited._

"_I love you." She breathed out in a soft, husky whisper, finally easing the tension that had controlled her heart for years. It was fantastically liberating to finally admit the feeling and let the realization become part of her personality._

_However, she didn't have any idea she had said it aloud. It was an admission to herself. She had fought with it for so long that she hadn't realized her lips had moved as she let the love for him to come into bloom. In her head, it was only her heart that sent a signal to her brain that the feeling was real and genuine and she should admit it unconditionally. Because despite the acceptance she was in love with him, she still wasn't sure whether she was ready to tell him that._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

So, she wasn't aware that such words had even left her mouth, she didn't know that Tony had heard it. Well, he probably wouldn't have heard it, because the whisper had been really hushed, it had been barely audible. But he had been paying attention to her earlobes at that moment so his ears hadn't had any problem catching exactly what she had said. At first, he wasn't sure whether he'd heard it right, but as he let the words sink in, the significance of those words became clearer.

His initial reaction was natural. He smiled widely, his heart leaping in his chest as the warmth flooded his body when he comprehended what it meant for him. She felt the same way about him as he felt about her. His feelings were reciprocated: the woman he was in love with loved him back. He had achieved his goal because since he'd started to seduce her, this was what he had wanted to accomplish – to admit their feelings to each other.

He pulled away to look at her and wanted to tell her about his feelings for her, but when he saw her face, his joy dropped. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was terribly wrong with the love confession she'd just made. First of all, her eyes were firmly closed as she enjoyed the last waves of the satisfaction he'd just given her, and he couldn't do anything else but to think how cute she looked.

Anyway, it made him uneasy, because he started to doubt the sincerity of her confession. Because when a person confesses he or she loves someone, that someone expects that it will be said directly into his or her eyes, definitely not with closed eyes. If the confession is supposed to be significant, then eye contact is necessary. But she didn't keep it. She was too engrossed in the pleasure she was experiencing.

Then it hit him that she'd said it in a whisper, it hadn't been loud or anything. It had been more like as if she had said it to herself and that it hadn't been for his ears. Like as if he wasn't supposed to hear it at all. So he started to wonder whether it had been just heat of the moment and she really wasn't in love with him. He had done the same numerous times. He'd said something he had regretted afterwards because he hadn't meant it.

But when she finally opened her eyes, he dismissed the 'heat of the moment' thing. The gaze she gave him, the ardour he could see in her eyes and the drunken expression on her face proved to him enough that she really did love him. She wondered why he had stilled all of a sudden and stopped with building the pleasure, but she was too overwhelmed with the newfound feeling that streamed through her veins to question why he looked so taken aback.

She tentatively raised her shaking fingers and caressed his face, creating a silly smile on his face despite his anxiety. He still mulled over the confession because, although he was sure she had truly meant it, it still didn't mean he was certain about the seriousness of the confession. It didn't explain why she'd said it so quietly, why she hadn't been looking directly into his eyes and, moreover, as he noticed right now, she obviously didn't expect he would tell her the same.

And that was the weirdest thing of all. If some love confession happens, even in the heat of the moment, there is some expectation of the reciprocation or some kind of reaction in general. But she evidently didn't await anything, otherwise she would wonder why he didn't repay it, she wouldn't be smiling at him in a way she was and, instead, she would be pissed off or something. She certainly wouldn't just watch him with the love shining from her eyes like nothing happened.

There was just one explanation to all of this. She didn't have any idea she'd said it aloud and she didn't know he had heard it. She'd said that to herself because she'd just realized what sort of feelings she had for him, and she probably needed some time to absorb it before she would gather enough courage to reveal what she'd found out. If that was the truth, then he was able to accept it and give her the time she needed.

He knew what she felt for him, and that was the most important thing for him. He had enough patience to wait for her for eternity, especially when he knew for sure she loved him back. So, he didn't hold out, he obediently bent his head down after she wrapped her hands around his neck, trying to pull his head down and when he didn't do so, she tried to lift herself up a bit so she could reach his lips.

It was electrifying as their lips joined and continued in the same sync like if their kiss hadn't been broken at all. She poured all of her gratitude into it, wanting to thank him for the unimaginable satisfaction he'd given her, to show him how much she appreciated it and wanted to repay it. She felt like if she was in seventh heaven and she wanted him to feel it too.

She let go of his lips rather quickly because her body still hadn't recovered from the powerful orgasm and, therefore, her need for oxygen was strong. She ran her hands down his face, memorizing every detail although she knew his face very well, but she just couldn't help herself. He was more handsome than ever before. She loved every inch of his body and she wanted to praise it as much as she could.

She noticed his disconcerted expression with the stiffened smirk on his face like if he had to force himself to smile, and despite her love intoxication, she wondered why he seemed so anxious. "What?" She asked him, sounding very out-of-breath, hoping that this wasn't a very serious issue that would mean they had to stop.

Tony smiled, this time for real, finally being one hundred percent sure she truly didn't know what she had whispered into his hear, and that she didn't expect he would reciprocate her feelings at this very moment. He felt a bit disappointed, of course. He wanted to tell her about how much he had loved her for years, but apparently it wasn't the best moment to do so, because she obviously needed some time to accept the feeling.

"Nothing. I just... I don't think I've seen something so beautiful ever in my life." He replied sincerely, meaning both her body and her character, and the way she let him to make her his.

Her smile widened as she blushed a bit, leaning into his touch when he stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers gently, feeling happy like never before. She felt free and relaxed, and she knew very well that the only person in the world who could cause it was him. She'd never felt so secure with some man like she felt with him. He had become her certainty already years ago, and from now on she counted on him in every aspect of her life.

He kissed her lightly on the lips, feeling as the lust began to control his mind once again, suddenly forgetting everything around him. After one, hungry gaze he crashed his lips on hers and she appreciatively accepted it without hesitation, letting the passion to explode between them again with renewed fervour. The burning desire was the only thing that interested them. They needed to sate it, otherwise they were lost.

He didn't hesitate to take care of his own satisfaction and thrust into her, making her shriek into his mouth as she let go of his lips, opening her eyes widely. Apparently, she was still shaken to the core by what she'd just experienced, because she started to tremble with excitement, adding a shaky moan to emphasize her joy. He truly loved the way her chest rubbed against his as she breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath.

He looked into her eyes and unwrapped one of her hands from around his neck, putting it on the mattress. She broke the eye contact and turned her head sideways to see what he was doing, watching as he opened her palm and intertwined their fingers, obviously trying to find some support. She then returned her gaze to his, licking her lips lusciously as her eyes burned with hunger for him, releasing a moan when he repeated the movements of his hips.

To give him more space for doing his job properly, and to enjoy the way he moved inside her even more, she eased the clench of her legs around his waist and opened them, making him smile. His free hand reached to her thigh, caressing the piece of flesh he loved so much as he bent down and again claimed her lips in an endless kiss that wouldn't be interrupted if it wasn't for the need for oxygen.

She sighed in pleasure into his mouth, welcoming his thrusts and even meeting with them to give him the satisfaction he craved for. She was dying to reward him for what he had done for her. She wanted him to know that the only woman in the world who had the right to give him this was her, and she needed to show him what he made her feel and why he was driving her crazy.

The squeeze of her hand became stronger when he began to mirror the actions of his hips in her mouth with his skilful tongue. She couldn't comprehend how the hell he was able to do it, as she obediently took him up on his offer and played the game with him. Their tongues hurt from those rapid movements, not to mention their lips which were swollen, but neither of them minded. It meant everything for them and nothing could make them to give it up.

Tony felt he was close and even though to explore the depths of her mouth was fantastic, he wanted to taste the other parts of her body as well. At least those ones she would allow him to at the moment, since they didn't have time for more exploration. So, he regretfully let go of her lips, kissing her jaw and her neck, revelling in those moans she was letting out, again proving her responsive personality and giving him the reason why he was losing his mind completely.

He groaned in pain and accidentally bit her nipple when he went lower, taking her right breast into his mouth, and she reacted by digging her nails into his hand and his shoulder, his ears catching the whisper that bore his name, now clearly addressed to him. He flicked his tongue over the nipple in a circle, apologizing this way for the bite and sucked on it gently, making her to get a hold of his hair as she desperately tug on it.

But he didn't give up of his new favourite toy. He paid the same attention to her left breast as well, so it wouldn't feel omitted. But the way she started to flex her inner muscles, tightening her pussy around his shaft, was beginning to be too much for him to bear. He had to stop often with tasting her breasts to take a proper breath because her actions were robbing him of his oxygen supplies.

He kissed his way back up to her face, awarding her earlobes with a lick as she intentionally wriggled her body to make him to reach his orgasm. To be honest, she was sure that if he didn't finally get there, she might experience another blissful satisfaction very soon. He did everything he could to give it to her once again, and she didn't fight it this time. She was fatalistic.

He grabbed her second hand, putting it on the mattress like the first one because he was in need of the full support that only she could provide. She took it as her cue to prepare for the grand finale and, even though something inside her felt a bit disappointed since this was one of those moments that should never see its end, she was more than ready for it. She needed it more than air.

He could read in her eyes that she didn't mind to be completely in his mercy. She didn't try to escape from the grip he applied on her hands. On the contrary, her eyes were telling him with all the love she felt for him to do whatever crossed his mind to reach his release because her intention certainly was to cooperate and help him as best as she could. This was about mutual satisfaction, not a selfish need for gratification.

"Ziva." He whispered her name with such affection that she melted between her short raggedy breaths she was making to preserve her breathing.

Her face was flooded with his delicate kisses as he paid attention to every tiny detail, from her cheeks, across her nose, up her eyelids and forehead, while her hot breath fanned his skin, sending shivers down his spine. She had to fight the urge to try to free her hands from his grip and touch him, because that was all she wanted at the moment. However, she also knew very well that he needed her support.

So she just continued in meeting with his thrusts, welcoming his hot, moist mouth on hers the second he reached her lips, gluing them together with such passion that she couldn't help but wonder for how long he had been suppressing it. She could feel the despair from his movements, from his kisses as he apparently tried to show her what he felt for her, what kind of feelings he bore in his heart.

She was so overwhelmed with the thing that was happening between them and not knowing what to name it, she didn't think about consequences. All that interested her was to help him and do everything she could to repay the favour as she intensified her moves, using all her muscles in her arms and hands to prop him up the way he needed. She wondered where the Hell he was taking all the energy for this because she was becoming completely drained, but she was able to spend all of the little power that remained in her.

He registered that she wrapped her legs around his hips again, tightening the clench everytime he moved inside her, but he was too focused to give it some deeper thought. He still drank in her lips, gripping her hands and thrusting into her to get himself where he wanted to be for years with her, knowing he would be successful very soon. He needed just few more seconds, grateful to her for the fact that she was helping him and thought about his satisfaction as well.

He groaned the moment he exploded, biting her lip violently, to which she responded with a moan, not at all minding it. His mind darkened, his body stiffened and then started to relax under the mighty orgasm he'd just reached. He wanted to scream in delight, to voice the blissful feeling but he didn't want to give up her lips. They were just too sweet to let go. It was everything he needed to enjoy the pleasure.

And she didn't protest. She kept returning his kisses, convulsing her inner muscles around his manhood, prolonging the satisfaction like he had for her. Her nails dug into his hands as he shifted his weight on her body because his strength was slowly fading and he wasn't able to prop himself up anymore. He was trembling from head to toe, the warmth spreading through his whole body as he savoured the amazing feeling to finally make love to the woman he was in love with.

It was more than he'd dreamt of, more than he'd wished for. It was total nirvana, the sweetest ecstasy he'd ever experienced and what was even better, he'd known a long time ago that if some woman was able to make him feel like that, it was her. No other woman could compare to her, because from now on, no other woman interested him. Well, of course he still could appreciate some woman's beauty, but he knew where the limits were because she became his everything.

And maybe it didn't last long, maybe it wasn't as passionate as he wanted, but it served its purpose. They became one body, one mind, one soul at the moment they had really started this, and that was what he had wanted to accomplish, among other things. Sure, he wished for more time to explore, more rounds to show her in how many ways he was able to please her and she could please him, but he couldn't be more satisfied with the way they had declared the love for each other.

Because despite her unawareness of her own words she had whispered into his ear, she'd shown him how she felt about him. If she hadn't been interested in him at all, she wouldn't have let him kiss her, caress her and certainly, she would have been able to tell him to stop. And if she hadn't been in love with him, she wouldn't have let him make love to her. But she let him to do everything, which only proved to him that her feelings for him were strong and serious.

He released her lips, breathing heavily as his lungs welcomed the fresh air, trying to get himself back from the state of blurriness he was in. His body went completely limp. He wasn't able to move, so he stayed in between her legs, giving himself a time to recover. Judging by the look on her face when he opened his eyes and glanced at her, she wasn't smothered but, on the contrary, loved the way his body surrounded hers.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her flushed face, but then he eventually noticed the drop of blood that escaped her mouth. Releasing her hands, he curled her lip and discovered that he had almost bit through because the skin was damaged and he could see the flowing blood. "Ooh, sorry." He breathed out an apology, sorry for hurting her which definitely hadn't been his intention.

"Don't be." She whispered back, gulping as she moistened her lips, swallowing the blood and trying to water her dry mouth.

Her now-free hands ran up his arms to his face, caressing his cheek with the back of her fingers and then reaching into his hair, raking it. He closed his eyes and literally purred in delight as she played with his hair while whimpering sensually when his hands rubbed their way down her waist and thighs, sending goose bumps across her skin. Most of all, she was glad it didn't feel awkward but the other way around – it felt right, like as if it was meant to be.

He didn't keep his eyes closed for too long. He wanted to see the beautiful face he always so admired whenever he had the chance. He loved the raging storm in the depths of her eyes as she was gazing up at him lustfully, travelling between his eyes and lips, begging silently for a kiss. She was truly the most gorgeous thing he had seen ever in his life. Being in love with her wasn't such a big surprise after all.

Bending down, he claimed her lips in a slow, proper kiss that gave him a chance to taste and explore every corner of her mouth, engaging his hands as he delicately caressed her skin. She responded with a whimper, massaging the nape of his neck, feeling overly happy as she let the love for him to spread through her body and at least showed him how she felt about him through her kiss.

He finally gained some strength to move, so without breaking the kiss, he rolled aside to stop being the burden she had to bear. But judging by the way she wrapped her arms around him, he guessed she wasn't very happy about it. She'd apparently rather stayed like they had been seconds ago because she whimpered in protest as she missed the warmth of his body she'd gotten used to so easily.

She didn't allow to him to pull away. She turned on her side with him and pressed him to her, while completely focusing on the sinful kiss. She began to feel hot when she felt his hands to draw her closer to him as well, grabbing her possessively around her waist while his second hand started to play with her drying hair. It seemed that by what they had done, they had denoted bomb full of uncontrollable passion between them, because she wasn't able to let go of him and he evidently didn't want to, either.

But somewhere in the back of her mind she was still aware of the fact that they didn't have so much time. There was some compelling reason, something important she knew she had to start paying attention to, but she couldn't remember at the moment what it was. And because he didn't seem to care about it either, she pushed it back for now.

Nevertheless, she managed to dig away the sheets that lay beneath her, grabbed one and threw it across her body to cover herself from him by which she prevented his hands from touching her anymore. It wasn't that she felt insecure about her body or that she didn't want him to see her naked, but she merely wanted to avert any attempt of another round, because she really had the impression that they were supposed to be somewhere else very soon and she needed to start behave responsibly.

When Tony slipped under the sheets, following her, she realized that it was just impossible to make him stop. He was apparently in need of touching her, so she let him caress her skin gently, while she again snuggled up to his body, all without breaking the lip-lock that meant a world to them. Their bodies moulded together, filling in any tiny crack they could with their flesh.

He broke the kiss eventually because he needed to take a proper breath, watching with amusement as she immediately tried to catch his lips again, but he pulled his head away. His hand cupped her cheek, making her open her eyes and look at him with the most adorable face he had ever seen. He loved the smitten look she was giving him, completely captivated by her own feelings towards him.

She put her hand over his heart, wanting to feel his heartbeat that matched hers, looking directly into his eyes. The atmosphere of contentment and love settled between them as they lay there staring at each other. It was a magical moment, another one that shouldn't be interrupted by something and that shouldn't see its end. The harmony of their naked bodies, minds and souls emitted from them and nothing could destroy it.

They smiled simultaneously, like two teenagers in love as he traced his fingers across her hipbone, while she played with his hair, making small ringlets. Their eyes couldn't get enough of the studying each other's feelings that reflected in their faces. It seemed they didn't even want to blink and started to hate this innate need that robbed them of few milliseconds of their lives when they couldn't watch the other.

His thumb ran across her bottom lip that was swollen from the amount of kissing they had practiced. Although he knew very well that they were supposed to be at the rehearsal dinner in a short time, he couldn't help but want to hold her in his arms, watch her endlessly, chatter with her and just to be with her like he thought he deserved. And most importantly, he finally wanted to let his feelings out his chest and tell her how he truly feels about her.

He didn't care whether she would tell him the same, because he knew the truth. He had heard her and even though she didn't have any idea she'd said it aloud, he was certain about the honesty of her words. But he couldn't wait any longer. He had kept it locked deep inside of him for years. It was tearing him apart and he just needed to get it out. For the sake of his sanity and their relationship, he had to confirm their love making with words as well.

But all his hopes fell into pieces the moment he opened his mouth to say those famous three words that meant a world to him, because her face suddenly changed into a horrified expression of dread. She gasped for breath as the panic attack seized her and she had problems making her lungs work, because it had finally dawned on her just what had happened between them.

She'd felt contended and happy and she'd had trouble figuring out why. It wasn't normal for her to feel like that, so she had just dug into it. So, in the minute she'd started to replay the events of the last hour or so in her head, she'd realized that she'd just had sex with Tony. After all those years of longing, dancing around each other and pretending that it actually had been nothing, they had given in to the temptation. And what was even more terrifying – they had made love.

"No." She breathed out, her eyes wide with fear as she shot her body up, getting herself into a sitting position, still struggling to breathe.

_**The End of Chapter 11**_

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger? Bumpy road about to begin? Oh yeah! Come on, you know you love it! ;)<strong>

**I hope you liked the chapter, the love and the contentment even though it was disrupted in the end, but nothing is lost, you can trust me. In the next chapter, we will see what exactly Ziva's problem is and how Tony will react to it. Will he let to her to destroy it? Or will he be still persuasive himself and will try to make her to enter a relationship with him? ;)**

**Just few questions for the new chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it. We're nearing the end of the first part which will have 14 chapters and then we'll start with second part on the rehearsal dinner. And I think you'll have a lot of things to look forward to. Trust me, I'll make it worth your while – just as I did before. ;)**

**Anyway, have a Happy New Year, wonderful and prosperous year 2015, I'll see you in the new chapter next Monday! Love you all to the moon and back! XOXO**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note:**

**2015 is here! And I want to thank you all for all those reviews on the last chapter, you literally made my last week of December such a wonderful time, you can't even imagine it. You really have a wonderful patience with me since I'm sometimes too cruel to you, leaving you hanging but I have to admit that I don't plan on stopping with it anytime soon. :D Sort of New Year resolution :D **

**Thanks endlessly to you ****Debbie****, for your contributions. :)**

**Thanks belong also to both of the ****Guest**** reviewers, I'm glad you liked the chapter and that you are eager to read the next one. :)**

**To the third Guest reviewer, who called me 'nasty girl' - yes, I am. :D And trust me, my sleep is very peaceful... :D Anyway, since you reviewed today, I guess you don't have to wait for so long for a new chapter, do you? ;) Enjoy and thanks for the review!**

**Same goes for you, ****hockeymom****! Thank you! :)**

**And dear ****Celine Krause****, I know you hate to wait. :D And I'm so 'sorry' for doing this to you... :D Thanks for the review, sweetie, and Happy New Year to you too. :)**

**To be honest with you, this chapter is just a slight intermezzo and sort of a prologue to quite long chapter full of persuasion and talk. Take it as insight to Ziva's head so you would know what's going on and what sort of problems we are dealing with here. I didn't want to split the chapter up but then I changed my mind because you might get bored during reading a long chapter full of talking and such. So, hopefully enjoy, I think you'll get soon with what I'm trying to deal with in here. :)**

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own NCIS or the characters.**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 12<strong>_

_**This chapter is dedicated to VendelaGraci because she's celebrating her 18th birthday tomorrow! Love you, Vendela and welcome among adults. I send thousands of hugs into your direction to Sweden. XOXO Have a nice day!**_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_But all his hopes fell into pieces the moment he opened his mouth to say those famous three words that meant a world to him, because her face suddenly changed into a horrified expression of dread. She gasped for breath as the panic attack seized her and she had problems making her lungs work, because it had finally dawned on her just what had happened between them._

_She'd felt contended and happy and she'd had trouble figuring out why. It wasn't normal for her to feel like that, so she had just dug into it. So, in the minute she'd started to replay the events of the last hour or so in her head, she'd realized that she'd just had sex with Tony. After all those years of longing, dancing around each other and pretending that it actually had been nothing, they had given in to the temptation. And what was even more terrifying – they had made love._

"_No." She breathed out, her eyes wide with fear as she shot her body up, getting herself into a sitting position, still struggling to breathe._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

If they had just had sex, she wouldn't have freaked out so much. The problem was that she had allowed to him to make love to her, thus she had let him express his love for her and she had repaid that in the same fashion. The connection had been real, the feelings had been sincere and the love for each other had been mutual. She had given herself away before she'd even known she had fallen in love with him, and before she'd even admitted it to herself.

And she also wouldn't have freaked out as much if she believed that he'd meant his feelings seriously. The problem was that she didn't. As she was going back with her memories, recalling the way he'd seduced her, she just couldn't bring herself to trust him, despite her promise that she would. It didn't make any sense to her. She didn't believe he could feel any love towards her. They were just partners and co-workers, and, of course, friends. With huge sexual tension between them, yes, but still.

Tony stared at her, refusing the unease overpowering him. He realized she was having second thoughts and was questioning his intentions and whether his feelings were real. But he didn't want to believe she wouldn't trust him, because she'd given him her trust before they'd really started the whole thing. However, he couldn't stop the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

He propped his head up against his elbow, reaching with his free hand toward her back, trying to soothingly caress her skin, teasing her partially uncovered butt. "Ziva?" He asked carefully, still hoping that her sudden panic attack had another explanation than her having any misgivings.

Ziva wanted the Earth to open and swallow her forever. She felt so vulnerable and used. She couldn't believe herself and she couldn't believe that he'd betrayed her trust like that. She was sure he'd been able to enchant her somehow, because she just couldn't find any explanation for her actions. She'd believed he'd been in love with her, she'd trusted him so much that she'd given in to the temptation, she'd let him to make her lose control over herself and do things she would have never done under normal circumstances.

She huddled, burying her fingers into her hair, raking it in desperation and trying to figure out why she'd let him to seduce her. She still wasn't able to comprehend how he could deprive her of her sanity, how he'd managed to envelope her in the erotic haze that had driven her libido, which had resulted in their love-making and, mostly, how he could do this to her. From all the people in the world, he was the last one she expected to betray her.

She'd fallen for his charm and all he'd needed for making her yield had been few sweet words, some games he'd decided to play with her and direct physical contact of their bodies. "Oh my God, how could I let that happen?" She asked herself aloud, feeling like a complete fool.

She tried to ignore his fingers on her back but she couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine because of it. Her treacherous body still desired him, in all ways possible, but she had to start thinking how she was supposed to get out of this situation without harming him and herself in the process. She had to take the responsibility for her actions. It was all her fault that she had let him to make her give in.

"How could I be so stupid?" She berated herself, emphasizing the last word, suddenly angry with herself. While she had admitted her love for him, she had come to a realization that what he felt for her wasn't love. At least not that type of love she wished for.

Tony DiNozzo wasn't a man who would want to commit to the relationship with all its positives and negatives. He wasn't a man of commitment, not since Wendy had dumped him. And she searched for commitment. She wanted a stable relationship with someone who would love her for who she was. Although she was sure Tony wouldn't try to change her, she couldn't stop the feeling that if they were supposed to take their relationship to another level, he would try to balk at it.

Little did she know, his love was greater than anyone could ever imagine. He was ready to give up everything, including his job, to be with her and cherish her like she deserved. He was ready for the commitment like never in his life. Nonetheless, she'd just convinced herself that there was no point to hope for him to fall in love with her, because she didn't believe she deserved such caring man like him. She didn't feel worthy of his affection. Plus, there were those commitment issues, and she couldn't find a way to get past this.

Tony still refused to feel unsure. His determination had helped him to convince her to let him make love to her already, so he was still determined not to let her to ruin this moment. He had sort of expected, knowing her character, that she might start to freak out once it had dawned on her what had happened. But he wasn't about to let this go. She could say whatever she wanted, he knew his truth. It only required more persuasion and, as he had proven today, his persuasion skills were excellent.

"Calm down, sweetheart. It's not a big deal." He said quietly, hoping she would hear his words through the blanket of hopelessness she had thrown over herself. He still continued in grazing his fingers across her skin in attempt to soothe her and prove to her, once again, that her body was still giving crystal clear signs of how much she wanted him.

Ziva couldn't believe his words. _Not a big deal?_ _This was a Hell of deal!_ Couldn't he see that they'd just made love? They'd express their feelings for each other without even telling them aloud? Couldn't he see that what they'd just done was changing their relationship forever? Couldn't he comprehend that he'd betrayed her trust and just had messed with her?

She turned to look at him and the anger in her rose. She wasn't just angry with herself, now. She was angry with him, as well, because he'd caused all the misery she was going through at the moment. If he had just given her the shoes and left, she wouldn't have been in this situation. She wouldn't have revealed what she felt for him, she wouldn't have even admitted it and everything between them would have been as normal as always.

The fiery wrath spread through her veins. Her eyes widened, burning with exasperation that had been caused by his words about 'not a big deal'. She didn't even know how, but her hand lifted into the air and met with the top of his head as she gave him a proper head-slap that caused him to stop being able to see for a little while. She didn't mean to be violent, but he hadn't given her any other choice.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" He immediately exclaimed and reached with his hand toward his head to cover the place that hurt. He had expected her to be angry, but not violent. Although, he had to admit, he had deserved some head-slap for what he had done. But the intensity had still surprised him.

"You know bloody well for what! This shouldn't have happened!" She snapped at him, giving him a piercing look as she breathed heavily, trying to tame her anger. She'd already managed to come up with a plan to kill him and get away with it and she couldn't wait to carry it out.

In disgust that she felt towards both herself and him, she turned her head away from him and rather looked at the wall. She knew she shouldn't blame just him because it was partially her own fault too. She should have resisted his charm. She was supposed to be immune against it. Apparently, he'd found new weakness inside her, and she needed to start work very soon on getting rid of it. She couldn't afford any weaknesses.

Tony sighed wearily, realizing that she just decided, for whatever reason, not to believe him, his intentions, his feelings and everything around them. She was doing the same thing all over again – pushing him away, shutting him down. But not this time. He'd been determined from the very beginning and he wasn't about to surrender. She belonged to him from now on, and he had every right to demand her trust.

"I just can't understand that I let you to... And that we..." She continued to lament. The mixed feelings of confusion, despair and resentment raged through her, only to be interrupted by his unexpected gently kisses he decided to apply on her back.

He sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist to show her that he hadn't betrayed her or anything. He'd just shown her what her body wanted and helped her reach the satisfaction she'd dreamt about for years. The way her body trembled the moment his arms had embraced her testified enough that she still couldn't stop herself from craving him. On top of that, it seemed that her wrath waned as the stiffened muscles relaxed and she, again, let him to do whatever crossed his mind.

She had to grip the sheet between her hands to prevent herself from touching him, but it was harder and harder to stifle the moans that were forcing their way out of her mouth. She hated her traitorous body and her libido, because it was just their fault that she melted the second she felt his lips on her skin. And he wasn't making it any easier for her when he took her hair and put it aside to make a free way to her neck and her earlobe.

He thoroughly paid attention to her shoulder blade, kissing his way up to her neck, revelling in her powerlessness. "I didn't hear you complaining." He whispered into her ear huskily as his hands massaged her waist and her stomach, making her shiver with excitement.

He gently nipped her earlobe, rewarding her neck with his kisses, sensing as her willpower was leaving her once more. She couldn't help herself but to respond to his advances towards her again. She was just incapable to stop him, because his touch suddenly had a deeper meaning for her than before. The heat was killing her as it washed over her, increasing her horniness to another level.

However, it boosted her anger in the same time. She didn't want him to have such power over her. She didn't want to be so weak and to melt just because he had touched her. She was supposed to scold him, to throw him out and make him to forget this had ever happened. She couldn't afford to let him to seduce her again, and not because they were supposed to be somewhere else. She wanted to put an end to this before he could convince himself about the depth and sincerity of her feelings.

She groaned in desperation, wriggling her body as she tried to free herself out of his embrace and stop him from taking this further before she could lose herself once more. When he stubbornly tightened the clasp he was applying on her waist, not wanting to let go of her, she managed to turn slightly, putting her hands on his chest and shoving him away roughly with a groan.

"Jeez, stop it!" She exclaimed, breathing heavily as she tried to subdue her wrath as well as her arousal that he'd caused. Her eyes were flaming with all the emotions that she felt, but her face saved the stony expression, not wanting to reveal anything.

Tony was surprised at first, but the moment he registered what she'd said, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, creating an amused smirk. "Now, you can say the word, huh?" He remarked, the smug smile never leaving his face. It wasn't even an hour ago when he'd wanted from her to say the word 'stop' and now, she was suddenly able to do so.

However, she didn't share the amusement with him. On the contrary, her face contorted with rage when she realized he had been making fun of her, nothing more. He bit his tongue the moment those words had left his mouth because, judging by the look she was giving him, he was about to be a dead man. _Why does he always have to do something that boosts her desire to kill him?_

"You think you're funny?!" She growled at him, looking him up and down with undeniable disgust as the limits of her forbearance were slowly but certainly losing their importance.

"This. Shouldn't. Have. Happened!" She repeated, emphasizing each word as much as she could to let him know that what they had done was a huge mistake, and that they should behave like consenting adults and leave it behind them.

But in spite of her sudden repulsion, anger and want to hurt him, she realized she couldn't kill him, injure him or anything. She couldn't harm him for what he had done and said and the reason was simple – her current state of confusion and coldness had nothing to do with her feelings for him and the fact she was in love with him. And she wasn't ready to hurt a person she loved the most.

It hurt her that he'd betrayed her trust because she wasn't sure what this meant for him. Her inner conviction just couldn't believe that what he felt for her was love in a romantic way. She knew he cared about her beyond partnership and friendship because he'd risked his life numerous times for her, but that didn't prove that he loved her. Especially with all the sexual tension between them. Because the fact that you're attracted physically to someone doesn't mean you're in love with that person.

She turned her head away from him once again so she wouldn't have to watch the puppy's eyes he was trying on her. Taking the sheet into her hands, she wrapped it as tightly as she could around her, wanting to cover herself as much as possible so he wouldn't see anything. This wasn't that stupid towel, it hid everything she wanted to hide so she wouldn't give him any other chance to touch her and, thus, to seduce her again.

"Grab your things and get out." She ordered him sternly with gritted teeth, trying to get her temper under control, hoping he would do what she'd demanded of him. She needed to be alone to sort out the havoc she had in her head.

But Tony didn't move. His determination made him to stay where he was and, on the contrary, it gave him the courage to fight this battle. "No, I won't." He calmly refused to leave her side. He didn't want to run away from this and he wasn't going to let he do something similar. What had happened between them was real and the only thing he needed to do was convince her about it.

Her head turned back towards him with an expression that told him that he really should get out of there. Otherwise, she would do it by herself, using force this time. But he didn't relent. It was time to finally fight against her constant refusal that nothing had been happening between them. That all those feelings, touches, and even kisses meant something deeper that she had been letting on. It was his only chance and he wasn't going to give it up just because she'd started to freak out.

"You won't make me leave, you won't make me regret it. Because I will never, ever have any regrets over it. I'm actually glad it happened." He told her with such resoluteness that she could just stare at him in awe.

Her intention certainly wasn't to make him to regret it, not at all. She just wanted him to leave her be and forget about it, thus to pretend that this afternoon had never happened. _And that he was glad for what they had done?_ She would be lying if she said she wasn't glad too. _But couldn't he comprehend how much it will influence their relationship? How much it will affect their work and their partnership? That it could lead to the subsequent end of everything nice they both consider to be part of their friendship?_

"And you can deny it as much as you want, Ziva, but deep inside you, you know it was bound to happen one day. You can't keep avoiding the fate." He continued decisively, knowing very well she had the same opinion. It wasn't the first time they had to deal with the sexual tension between them, so she knew very well about it and couldn't deny its existence. It had been an unstable bubble of emotions that had waited for the right moment to burst.

Her eyes, full of anger, were still boring into his, challenging him to avert his gaze, but he didn't surrender. His cock-and-bull stories about fate and how she couldn't keep avoiding it made her blood boil in her veins. Fate and destiny didn't have anything to do with what he had done. It was just his way to excuse his betrayal of her trust, nothing more. Although, she had to admit that she'd wished for the day she would give in to the temptation to come. But that wasn't the point at the moment.

"And you think it allows you to burst in, without permission, into my room while I'm practically naked, take advantage of it and seduce me?! This is what you call 'fate'?" She barked at him with disdain, but with an audible tremble in her voice. She wasn't too far from nervous breakdown, which was primarily the reason why she wanted to him to go away. She didn't want him to know how vulnerable and hurt she felt. She was always the strong one, so she wanted to save her face and maintain her dignity.

Tony shook with his head in disapproval, scratching it and wondering how the hell he was supposed to make her to believe him and stop thinking about him as a bad guy. It almost seemed she thought that he had entered her room with the intention to surprise her and use it to his own advantage, which wasn't the truth at all. He hadn't known she had been in just a towel the moment he had opened the door.

"I gave you countless chances to back away, Ziva. But you..." He started to defend himself. Because she had been there with him, she had pretty good idea what had happened. He'd taken his time, just because, to be sure she had wanted the same thing, and she'd proved it. That's why he had decided it had been worth the risk.

"You were just messing with me!" She exclaimed, cutting him off as her body trembled with the nervous tension and rage over the fact that she just wanted to forget about it and he didn't want to accept that.

He was taken aback by her sudden outburst, even though he knew she was pissed off. This was somehow different, though. Something in her voice made him believe there was something more to it that she had been showing. This wasn't the Ziva he had known for years. She would have never used such words. She would have just kicked him out, threatening him with a paperclip or something.

And then, it hit him exactly what her problem with all of this was. This wasn't his ninja, this was a woman, a broken woman to be exact. A woman who had convinced herself that her trust had been betrayed because those she loved the most had always done such a thing. She had been betrayed by Michael, by her father, and recently, she had been betrayed by CIRay. And now, she believed he'd been the one who had dared to do this unspeakable act.

He had been sure that the way he'd decided to express his feelings for her had been the best one. But apparently, it had been the worst one. Maybe he should have given her the space to tell him what she had wanted and not to insist so much on the physical side of the seduction. Maybe he really had gone overboard with it, and should have chosen some other way to show her what he felt, because she obviously didn't want to believe it.

He felt miserable the moment he looked her directly in the eye and saw the hurt she so much tried to hide. He didn't want any of that. To hurt her was the last thing he'd had in mind. The realization that she now counted him in with the group of betrayers who had managed to break her heart and just use her for their own advantages, let him know that he had to start fixing it immediately. He couldn't let her to think that all he had wanted was just sleep with her. He needed to convince her that it all had been real.

_**The End of Chapter 12**_

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><p><strong>So... Now, you know with what Ziva tries to cope with – her trust issues since she has been betrayed too many times and even Tony realizes that he should have considered it before. Do you think he will be able to fix it? That he will be able to convince her that his feelings for her were real? You'll find out in the next chapter!<strong>

**I want to thank you all for all the support you gave me during the year 2014, you were all amazing and you made that year as one of the best in my entire life. Thank you so much, and I wish you all the best for the new year 2015.**

**Anyway, I should go back to studying, I'm the only one who can pass the exam tomorrow... Not to mention I have to hardly work on my thesis. At least the French exam is behind me, phew... See you next week in Chapter 13! XOXO**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note:**

**Hello again! I hope that the entry to the year 2015 was smooth for you and you are in a mood to read new chapter! :) I'm also glad that you like the way I'm trying to get to the root of Ziva's problems. It makes me really happy and I want to thank you for the understanding.**

**Thank you so much, ****Debbie**** for your contribution. That's what I am aiming for, I want Ziva to realize that Tony is the right one for her and that he won't betray her. :)**

**To the ****Guest**** reviewer who is obviously pissed off with this story – I'm sorry if you feel like that but if you don't like the way I write my stories, then don't read it. Nobody forces you to do so. So, if you don't want to feel annoyed, just pretend that this story doesn't exist. As for my A/N – I love to read A/Ns of other writers and I love to write my own A/N, it' usually my way how to thank guest reviewers for their opinion since I can't contact them through PM – just as I'm doing it right now with you. If you don't like the A/Ns then skip it – again, nobody forces you to read it and it's not that hard to scroll down a bit. Thanks**

**Anyway, I hope you will like this chapter – it's longer than the previous ones as I warned last week, so sit back and hopefully enjoy! :)**

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><p><em><strong>Towel – Chapter 13<strong>_

_*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***_

_And then, it hit him exactly what her problem with all of this was. This wasn't his ninja, this was a woman, a broken woman to be exact. A woman who had convinced herself that her trust had been betrayed because those she loved the most had always done such a thing. She had been betrayed by Michael, by her father, and recently, she had been betrayed by CIRay. And now, she believed he'd been the one who had dared to do this unspeakable act._

_He had been sure that the way he'd decided to express his feelings for her had been the best one. But apparently, it had been the worst one. Maybe he should have given her the space to tell him what she had wanted and not to insist so much on the physical side of the seduction. Maybe he really had gone overboard with it, and should have chosen some other way to show her what he felt, because she obviously didn't want to believe it._

_He felt miserable the moment he looked her directly in the eye and saw the hurt she so much tried to hide. He didn't want any of that. To hurt her was the last thing he'd had in mind. The realization that she now counted him in with the group of betrayers who had managed to break her heart and just use her for their own advantages, let him know that he had to start fixing it immediately. He couldn't let her to think that all he had wanted was just sleep with her. He needed to convince her that it all had been real._

_*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***_

With a sigh, he shifted on the bed, sitting in front of her to be sure he could see her face, or at least to make her look at him. She watched him motionlessly, still breathing heavily in an attempt to tame her temperament and trying to resist the urge to kill him on the spot, but waiting to see what he intended to do. Her curiousness just got the better of her, somewhere deep inside her she felt she would probably make a great mistake if she didn't let him explain himself. And she wanted to stop making mistakes, because their friendship was at stake at the moment.

He tried to reach for her hands and take them into his, but she jerked them away, refusing to hold his hands and, rather, hiding them in her lap. She wasn't even looking at him because she didn't want to succumb to his imploring gaze and adorable face. He grimaced guiltily and understood her aloofness, rather, trying to polish up his speech so she would believe it and wouldn't question his intentions anymore.

"Look, I know that what I did wasn't a very honourable way to express what I wanted to say. I chose a very wrong way, I know that now." He started with a calm, firm voice, trying to make an eye contact with her, but unsuccessfully, because she rather studied the sheet's fabric.

"I admit that I entered your room without permission, I admit that I didn't think about knocking, which was rude of me. But I just wanted to give you the shoes, nothing more. I didn't have any intention to catch you off guard like that, I swear." He presented his case and didn't hesitate to defend himself. He really was telling the truth, he would swear on his mother's grave if it was necessary to make her believe that he hadn't had any idea she had been naked, wrapped in just a tiny towel.

"When I did, I... I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I just saw it as an opportunity to finally express what I feel for you, because I knew that words weren't enough." He continued, the desperation dripping from the tone of his voice as he tried to convince her about his pure intentions.

A small smile appeared on his face when she lifted her eyes to him and met his gaze with an obvious question written all over her face. _Why did he think that words weren't enough?_ He knew very well she had wanted to talk, but he hadn't given her any space to do so. He'd just offered her an ultimatum – she'd either give in, or she'd tell him to stop and leave. Nothing in between, no chance to make him talk.

"I just thought that actions were better than words. Especially when it comes to us. Because honestly, Ziva, we two have never been good in talking." He explained his unwillingness to talk, since there were just too many things between them that they should talk about.

She hung her head, because she had to admit that he'd had a point, there. Too many unspoken words, too many refused and avoided conversations they were both too afraid to carry out. She knew it was primarily her fault, because she'd usually been the one who had asked him to put off the talk for later, but then had turned him down when he had wanted to get back to it.

It was the irony of life, because she realized that her own actions from the past and his previous experience with her had actually driven him to do what he had done. She'd literally pushed him to choose this way because, given by her usual refusal to talk about things that concerned them, he had been certain she would have tried to avoid any kind of talk again.

He just couldn't find any other way to express himself without being interrupted, accused of lying, and threatened or anything she might try to use to evade a conversation with him. Because he had been right, she would probably try to sweep it under the carpet and mask her own fears behind pitiful threats and insults that she usually used. Even though she had wanted to talk, it would have probably ended with some evasive manoeuvre from her side.

But it didn't change the fact he shouldn't have chosen this way how to finally make her give in. So, when he achieved her silent agreement to what he had said, he decided to continue. "And I know you feel hurt and deceived. But trust me that was the last thing I wanted you to think." He, again, tried to reach for her hands, but she still refused to let him to touch her.

"I didn't betray your trust. I didn't mess with you. I just needed to prove the truthfulness and sincerity of my feelings for you, and this was the only way I could make you believe me." He further explained, denying her accusation of making fun of her from earlier. His feelings were serious, he had been serious during their love-making, letting all of the love he felt for her out of his chest. She wasn't the only one who had risked and shown everything.

"What feelings are you talking about?" She asked him unbelievingly, still refusing to believe he actually had any feelings for her. In spite of her agreement with the fact they had never been good in talking, she still couldn't bring herself to believe that he hadn't been messing with her. _Did he really think that she would take the bait and come to believe his soft soap?_

She wasn't that naive. The feelings he felt towards her didn't go beyond friendship. They were still just partners and friends. This was just his way to deal with the unsustainable sexual tension between them. To get her in bed, nothing more. No real feelings had been involved from his side. Only she had been that silly to actually believe that her feelings might have been reciprocated.

Tony sighed exasperatedly, because, like he could see, his plan truly hadn't had the effect he had aimed for. She still didn't believe him. She somehow wasn't able to accept the fact that he was in love with her and that he had made love to her with the same passion like she had. He didn't know why she just kept refusing to believe his feelings went that far, but he was determined enough to keep on trying to convince her.

He raised his hand and cupped her cheek, even though she tried to dodge it, because she was too afraid of losing it again. It was hard to resist the urge to lean into his touch when he started to graze his thumb across her cheek, making an eye contact with her. Although she tried to direct her eyes somewhere else so she wouldn't look at him, his face was always the place she ended up at.

She so much wanted not to trust the love shining in his eyes, the warmth that sparkled in his orbs, but she couldn't stop the butterflies in her stomach to start flying. Her hardened gaze melted under his. She lost herself in the depth of his enchanting stare he was giving her. She naturally focused on his lips for a while before she lifted her eyes back to his, still desiring his kiss.

"Ziv, we both know that what have happened between us has a deeper meaning." He told her, using his calm, but persuasive voice to convince her. She just gulped and let him to go on, deciding to neither agree nor disagree with his statement.

"We were both deeply in it because our true feelings were involved. It wasn't just casual sex. We..." He tried to continue but she didn't let him, closing her eyes in denial of his words.

"Don't say it." She ordered him in a whisper, shoving away his hand as she turned her head aside. She didn't want to look at him. She couldn't let him to say it aloud because it would become too real for her liking. If she was supposed to survive this, she couldn't admit to him that it had been love-making. It was enough that she had admitted it to herself, which had caused complete chaos in her head.

"We made love." He finished, not allowing her to throw him off balance. He understood that to say it loudly was making it even more real than it had been so far, but it sounded so nice. He couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face, letting the love for her to seize his heart more than ever.

He watched her intently as she closed her eyes more firmly, fighting against her own desire to admit they had made love. She knew she had made love to him, but she still wasn't sure what it had been from his side. Because his attempts to convince her hadn't worked so far, she couldn't bring herself to believe him. She was afraid she might fall into a trap once again, and she didn't want to repeat the same mistake in the course of a few minutes.

"Although you're trying to deny it, that's the naked truth. My only wrongdoing is that I decided to go for it because I had read signs that you might feel the same way about me. And I couldn't let such a chance slip away." He went on, getting desperate with her constant refusal. _Is she really that broken that she can't accept the fact they made love? That he was sincere with her and really isn't messing with her?_

Once more, he tried to reach for her hand and take it in his. But she didn't let him to do so. He was confusing her more and more with each passing second as the war between her heart and brain started anew. Her heart ached for him, wanting to tell him what she had found out, and how strong her love was. But her brain didn't want to allow it, and it made her keep refusing to believe his words.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I have no feelings for you." She denied she would even feel anything towards him. The lie was burning in her throat, making her squirm as she tried to escape his presence, but knowing she couldn't because she was naked, wrapped in just a sheet. So, there was no chance to escape from him.

Tony chuckled unbelievingly, not comprehending why she so much wanted to destroy everything they had worked on. It was a blatant lie she'd just left out of her mouth, and she knew it very well. Nobody would ever believe that she didn't feel anything when it came to him, not even a friendship. They had gone through so much together, indelible and emotional events that neither of them could forget about. There was no way she could feel nothing.

He ceased her fidgety movements, grabbing her by her wrists and bringing their bodies closer. She gasped nervously, breathing heavily because she was aware of how terribly she had lied about her allegedly non-existent feelings for him. And especially because she melted into him the moment he had touched her, and when she stopped resisting the eye contact he had tried to make, it was more than obvious she had been lying.

He was very knowledgeable in her lies. He could tell when she had been lying, particularly when it came to her feelings. She had given him a deep insight into her mind over these last few months they had been spending together, which, of course, didn't mean he knew why she now tried to deny what her heart felt. He could only guess what exactly had been behind it, but he had his suspicions.

But he didn't have time to give it any thought and analyse what had been happening in her head, because he had more important task to care about, convincing her about his feelings, show her that he knew she had been lying and make her to admit her feelings to him. He knew she loved him, he heard how she'd whispered it, but he didn't want to use it, since she could easily deny it. She still didn't have any idea she'd confessed her love for him aloud.

"So, you want to tell me that you feel nothing towards me?" He breathed out across her lips, looking deeply into her eyes, watching as she gulped. She dared not say another lie. Her eyes revealed more than anything that what she felt for him was stronger than any kind of feeling she had ever experienced.

"That you feel nothing when I touch you?" He asked her, challenging her to show him that she felt nothing, even though it was obvious she couldn't.

To demonstrate that he knew she had been lying, he released her wrists and rubbed his hands across her bare arms, sending goose bumps across her skin. She suddenly didn't know what to do with her hands, so she let them to fall into her lap and grabbed the sheet to prevent herself from reaching out to him. But she couldn't hide how much her body liked his touch and craved for the contact.

She turned her head sideways again, not just to hide her lustful gaze from him, but also because she didn't want him to see how she was biting her lip in desperate attempt to fight against her whimpers in delight. But he used it to his own advantage, grazing his fingers up and down her arm, reaching to her neck and face as well, smiling triumphantly when she unconsciously leaned into his touch.

His second hand stuck behind the sheet, caressing her calf and driving her crazy with it. Her willpower was slowly fading away, losing the inner struggle she had battled with herself. She had been telling lie after lie, because, of course, she felt something. _How couldn't she?_ He had a wonderful ability that had always helped him to get through her walls, no matter how high and thick the walls had been.

Her body was shaking under his caresses because the exciting tension she felt wanted to break free, but she still stubbornly kept it inside. However, she whimpered when he bent his head down and kissed the sensitive spot on her wrist, grazing his nose up her arm, and he certainly didn't resist teasing her neck. She exhaled shakily when she sensed his body so close to hers, because his proximity was just something she apparently needed, despite her reluctance to believe his words.

"Or kiss you?" He whispered those words right into her ear, watching the noticeable tremble of her body and enjoying the heat it was emitting.

She turned her head to him, surprised when she found his face just millimetres from hers, their lips almost touching. He continued in his caresses on her leg, cupping her cheek to be sure she wouldn't try to turn away, his eyes slipping down on her lips when she parted them. Their bodies now were in the direct contact again, and he could feel her heart beating erratically, which only proved that her claim had been a plain lie.

It was she who made the first step as she leaned her head in and tried to catch his lips between hers, but he pulled away a bit, making impossible for her to get what she hungered for. She tried it again, but to no avail. She didn't realize that she was now giving him the necessary proof he needed to know she actually felt something towards him, since her only desire at the moment was to kiss him.

But that didn't interest her at all, because the only thing she wanted was to feel his lips on hers. So, to be certain she would be successful for the third time, she raised her hands and wrapped them around his neck, finally closing the tiny gap between them. The love she felt exploded the moment their lips had joined, spreading through her veins to every corner of her being.

His arms embraced her naturally, pressing their bodies together tightly, to which she didn't try to resist at all. She was just too weak. His kiss was calming her down, and if she was supposed to believe that his feelings for her were serious and he really hadn't just taken advantage of her state of undress, then such a kiss was one of the best ways how to achieve it.

Although she was already familiar with his lips and the way he tasted, he didn't cease to amaze her with how damn good it actually was every time. She loved the merest detail of the kiss, never wanting to give up the chance to kiss him once more. Their rubbing, intertwined tongues, their biting teeth and their swollen lips just couldn't get enough of each other, craving for more with each movement.

She palmed his cheeks, changing the angle marvellously with a deep moan while he contentedly responded, letting the joy seize him. This wasn't the type of kiss that would scream with 'I have no feelings for you'. On the contrary, it was a kiss full of unbridled passion, uncontrollable lust and, mainly, love. Exactly the kind of emotions and feelings he knew very well she felt towards him.

The kiss got out of their control, because it soon developed into something more as their hands started to roam, caressing their skins. He just had to rake her almost-dry hair with his fingers, burying them there and revelling in those natural curls he loved so much. And she hugged him more tightly, excitingly rubbing his back up to his head, reaching into his hair, as well, as she tousled it.

Shifting her weight, she stopped leaning over and, rather, changed the direction, trying to lie down on the mattress and take him with her. She just wanted to feel, again, how wonderfully it felt to be surrounded by his body, because she had fallen in love with the feeling the moment she'd had the chance to experience it. Nothing interested her in this very moment like her want for him.

Tony took the hint rather quickly and gently started to use his body weight to make her lie down. With regret, he freed one of his hands from her hair and put it on the mattress behind her body to find some support for doing so, while she wrapped her arms around him, clinging onto him, practically forcing him to put her down. She stretched out her legs to prepare for the lying position as he did the same, but with some difficulties since he still had to hold her.

But he found the right position when her back hit the mattress, letting him to press his chest against hers and kiss her thoroughly. His hands stuck beneath the sheets and touched her heated skin, massaging her waist gently as she whimpered and tugged at his hair to express her pleasure only he could give her. And she was certain that she wanted it only from him, time after time.

She dismissed everything from her mind. She couldn't even remember what he had been asking her and why she had been angry with him because it was irrelevant right now. Whatever it was, it had some plausible explanation, so there was no need to feel uncertain or hurt. She was completely focused on getting the satisfaction from him once more, totally uninterested in some upcoming rehearsal dinner.

But he didn't forget his question. He remembered very well of what she had accused him of and how much it had hurt him that she didn't want to believe he might love her and that he'd just taken advantage of her, and, moreover, that she had denied she would even feel something towards him. He couldn't leave it like that. He needed to clarify exactly what he felt and why he considered the thing that had happened between them as love-making.

Determinedly, he broke the kiss and allowed them both a chance to refill their lungs. She whimpered, trying to pull his head down to attach her lips back to his, but he resisted, gently kneading her muscles. "Why did you let me to make love to you then, huh?" He asked her breathlessly, reminding her that she had claimed she had no feelings for him at all, which obviously wasn't true.

Her memories on the previous conversation returned, but she couldn't do anything else but agree with him. Because he was right, she had been lying about her feelings, because she certainly couldn't call love some insignificant feeling. She sighed, trying to apologize through her gaze, but it seemed that he still wasn't finished, that he expected from her to confirm that she had been lying.

"If you have no feelings for me, then why did you spend nights watching me in my sleep and caressing my face?" He blurted out, watching her reaction closely. If he couldn't use the love confession that she had made and about which she didn't have any idea against her, then he could use their sleeping arrangements during their movie nights in her apartment.

Her face froze in the sudden shock that hit her because she thought that he hadn't known about that. She had thought it was her little secret, because she had expected that if he had known about it, he would have tried to question her. But nothing like that had ever happened. She opened her mouth to ask him how the hell did he knew, but no words came out because she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Or do you think that I don't know about those 'secret sleeping snuggles' that happen when I fall asleep in your apartment?" He asked her upon seeing her shocked expression, because he couldn't believe that she hadn't considered he might know about it.

She didn't know what to respond. _How was she supposed to explain her desire to watch him in his sleep? The fact she loved to trace her fingers all over his face, admiring his boyish features? _There was only one explanation for all of this, and it certainly didn't match with what she had claimed – that she had no feelings for him. Because this screamed with proof of very strong and serious feelings.

But she still knew nothing about his. _Does it mean he is in love with her because he considers the thing that has happened between them as love-making? Is there any chance that he might reciprocate her feelings? Were his intentions really that pure and she just freaked out pointlessly? _She stared at him, thousands of questions circling around in her head, making her confused.

She abruptly sat up, pushing him away and trying to sort out her thoughts. But she hadn't had such havoc in her head for a very long time. "How?" She managed to get out of her mouth, wondering how he knew about all of this, when had he found out and why he hadn't told her anything.

Tony sat up, too, not at all hurt that she had shoved him away because he had expected it. She was astonished with the new information, so the reaction had been natural in her state of wonder. But that didn't stop him from trying to obtain the answer he wanted to hear from her. He had to tell her how he felt about her and she needed to admit that her feelings for him were real. He couldn't let the situation stay in such chaotic condition because it would destroy everything.

So he embraced her from behind, pressing her back on his chest, satisfied that she didn't try to fight it and, rather, melt into his arms because it was easier than to endlessly resist to her cravings. It felt so good to be enveloped in his warmth. She loved the way his hands possessively hold her while he sniffed her hair, grazing her neck lightly with his nose.

"Does it really matter how I know about it?" He whispered into her ear, nipping her earlobe gently, getting another proof of how wonderfully responsive she was when she bent her head aside to give him more space for teasing her neck.

She even let the sheet around her fall down and gave him a chance to caress her breasts sensually, by which she confirmed that she actually wasn't interested in any explanation. Still, she grabbed his hands to prevent herself from touching him while enjoying the delight she was experiencing thanks to his lips on the sensitive skin of her throat.

"Isn't it more important to finally admit that you have some feelings for me?" He asked her, wanting her to admit that she had been lying, because the way she had reacted to his touches and his kiss was enough for him to know that the love confession from before had been really genuine and it hadn't been some heat-of–the-moment.

Ziva knew that the reason why she was angry with him was because she had convinced herself that he'd just taken advantage of her, and it was hurting her because she had trusted him. She was in love with him and the alleged betrayal was breaking her heart because she hadn't expected something like that from him. Maybe from others, but not from him. Not after all those countless occasions when he had showed her his loyalty.

She closed her eyes and sighed, wondering how to get out of this situation without harming him and herself. She just needed some time to absorb the new feeling she'd found. Besides, she still wasn't sure whether she could believe him. All of his words had been supposed to convince her about his sincerity and about his feelings, but after all those betrayals she had experienced in her life, it was hard for her to learn to trust again.

"Tony, please... This is really not the best timing to talk about such things." She tried to put off the conversation for another time. She didn't like to do this, but she really needed to deal with herself first. To accept the love for him and decide whether to believe him that he loved her back and all this that had happened between them was really love-making and not just some attempt to get her into the bed, wasn't the easiest thing. She needed to think it over.

Tony didn't know what else he was supposed to do to make her believe him and to gain her trust back. He had apologized, he'd explained himself, he'd convinced her that she'd lied to him about her non-existent feelings because she clearly felt something towards him, but it apparently hadn't been enough. But he was determined to finish this and say those three words into her eyes, he just had to. It was his duty, he owed that to her and to himself as well.

"And when will that be?" He asked her curiously, not believing that she would really want to return to the conversation later. This was her attempt how to make him to leave and later force him to forget about what had happened. He was getting tired of her constant refusal to talk about serious matters, especially the ones that concerned them.

She registered the evident sarcasm in his voice as if he suspected she might try to avoid the promised talk, and if she wanted to be honest, he had every right to accuse her of such a thing. It was just easier to forget those moments they had experienced together in this room since he'd stepped in and had caught her wearing nothing but a towel. She wouldn't have to deal with anything, at least not in the near future. But he wanted from her some immediate reaction, and she wasn't capable of that.

She turned her head to look at him and to explain to him her thoughts and beg for time, but when she saw his face, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. His gaze was warmer than ever before. The expression of utter admiration mixed with desperation, anger and desire shining from his eyes captivated her. All over again, he was proving that his stare was one of his greatest weapons and she had to use all of her remaining willpower to hold out against it.

The battle inside her body between her head and heart was getting unbearable. She so much wanted to believe the love she saw written all over his face. She wanted to believe his words. She also wanted to believe he hadn't just taken advantage of her, that she hadn't been the only one who had made love. That he had been making love to her, as well, and, thus, she could trust him more than anyone, because he loved her.

However, there was the other side of this. The way he'd seduced her, the fact he still hadn't told her whether he really was in love with her, made her confused. Besides, she believed she was cursed, because every man she had ever loved had betrayed her eventually. Too many men had lied to her, too many of them had let her down, and all she could do was just watch it and do nothing about it.

She hated Ray for what he had done to her, because it now affected her attitude toward Tony. She couldn't bring herself to believe him, not in this state of confusion and hurt she was in. Especially with the new realization that she had fallen in love with her partner, co-worker and best friend in one, which was making things even harder. It wasn't supposed to happen. He had been forbidden from her, and yet, she had fallen for him.

That was why it was better to deny it all, to suppress it for a while and wait for her heart to be completely healed. She was uncertain about her feelings. She wasn't sure whether she could believe to what her heart or her brain were telling her, even though she had acted on it in the last hour or so. He had such power over her that, although she felt weak, he always managed to make her stronger.

She reached out her hand and cupped his face, tracing her thumb across his cheek, and gave him a regretful look. "Just not now. Please, take your things and..." She said, only to be interrupted by his annoyed huff because he really couldn't stand her refusing behaviour anymore.

"No, I won't leave. You have to understand that I can't leave things in this state." He told her determinedly because he really couldn't leave without any other explanation, and, thus, to prove that he had done exactly of what she'd accused him of, which wasn't the truth at all.

Although his persuasion speech had had some effect on her, he recognized that it had also confused her probably even more, because she wanted to believe him, but for some reason, she couldn't. He hoped that if he told her in words what exactly he felt, then she would believe him at least a little bit. She had known him long enough to know that he didn't squander such words, especially if it concerned people he cared about.

"I can't let you to think that it's impossible for me to love you. I have to tell you how I really feel about you." He pointed out the fact that her stubbornness and constant denial complicated his efforts to make her believe him. She had given him her trust and now she wasn't able to believe his candid declaration that what he felt for her was genuine and real and that he hadn't been messing with her. And just because she had convinced herself that he couldn't have such feelings for her.

She didn't dare to blink because she had been frozen since the moment the word 'love' left his lips. It felt so nice to hear it. It warmed her heart immensely and she didn't know why, because he hadn't directly told her he loved her. But just to hear the word in his beautiful voice was enough for her to melt as her heart rate sped up. There was really no reason to deny it anymore, she was head over heels in love with him. Her body was giving her such signs that she couldn't ignore it. At least she could trust herself in this point. One item on her imaginary list of tasks how to deal with herself was crossed.

His eyes studied her for a long moment as he pondered whether to say it now or to find some better position for telling her. He had been playing out this moment in his head numerous times, not to mention how many times he had dreamt about it, and still, he couldn't find the best way, the best place and the best timing for saying it. He wanted it to be perfect, but that was apparently impossible.

He broke the eye contact they had been holding and moved on the bed to sit right in front of her so she wouldn't have to tilt her head to look at him. She followed his movements with her eyes in obvious puzzlement, wondering what the hell he was doing, afraid that he might really leave now. But when he just shifted himself back to his previous position in front of her, she calmed down a bit and just covered her body to the sheet once again.

He raked his hair in nervousness and then reached for her hands, glad that she didn't pull them away. She was giving him the chance to express what he felt, which surprised him but he couldn't wish for more. He still had a chance to set things right, to convince her about his love and make her believe that he could love her. And if there was anybody she could trust, it was him.

He put a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to his, since she had found sudden interest in their joined hands. "I am, again, sorry for the way I decided to express what I feel. But I swear that I intended to voice it in words, as well, from the very beginning." He started, knowing it was better to apologize once more and pointed out that his feelings for her had been present for a very long time. So, when he'd started to seduce her, he had been driven by his feelings, about which he had wanted to convince her and tell her.

She could just stare at him, completely captivated by his speech again, trying to figure inside her what her thoughts over it were. "Hell, I wanted to tell you that for months. But... there was never the right moment because something always got into my way." He continued, gripping her hands and stressing his words by squeezing them, his determination and his enormous effort to make her to believe him because he was telling the truth coming through.

"I let my actions to speak for me because I just didn't want anything to interrupt me so I could finally stop being a coward and show you, as well as tell you, how I feel about you. And I didn't want to scare you." He went on, speaking to her and keeping the endless eye contact between them to convince her about his sincerity. Judging by her softened gaze, she was starting to believe him.

"Plus, I wanted it to be perfect. Trust me, a hotel room really isn't the best place I imagined, and this atmosphere certainly isn't the one I wanted for us to be when I told you how I feel." He, again, defended himself and his actions, presenting her a reason why he still hadn't told her in words what the feeling he had for her even was. He wanted something better for her because she deserved it, but when this opportunity had opened up to him, he couldn't let it slip away.

"But maybe that's how it is meant to be." He shrugged in resignation, squeezing her hands to prepare her for what was about to come. He couldn't afford any form of hesitation. The confession had to be loud and clear.

Ziva couldn't tear her eyes off of him, watching him motionlessly. Her heart threatened to explode because she knew that this was the moment she would hear the words she'd wanted to hear for so long. Although there was the second part of her that begged him silently not to say anything because it was just easier to deny it than to expect another disappointment, she couldn't fight the desire to hear him out.

It was just stronger than her. So, the moment he released one of her hands and gently brushed his fingers across her cheek to keep her attention, she tilted her head to lean into his touch, watching him without a blink. Her eyes were sparkling with eagerness and tears she was refusing to let fall down, waiting for the magical moment like a five-year-old kid on a Christmas Day.

He smiled at her warmly, glad for her evident anticipation, but he was nervous as Hell. He couldn't believe that the moment he'd dreamt about for years was finally here. But he managed to calm his nerves and took a deep breath. "Ziva, I lov-" He began but was cut off immediately by a strange, rather noisy, sound.

_**The End of Chapter 13**_

* * *

><p><strong>I can hear the curses, the guns you are aiming at me, wanting to shoot me... I can see how you are preparing the voodoo dolls to make me pay for what I have done... :D Hm, what the 'strange, rather noisy, sound' might be? <strong>

**Will you forgive me if I promise you that he will say it in the next chapter? Will you be so kind and wait just one more week to see how Tony will say it? Please? Pretty please?**

**I'm terrible person, I know. That's what university does with you. :D Especially studying psychology :D Anyway, I have to go back to studying, have another exam tomorrow and I have to go to work afterwards. Thanks a lot for reading and reviews are appreciated. :)**

**See you next Monday and have a nice week! :)**


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